Blind Oblivion
by kelpie169
Summary: When Eric finally opens his bar, he's got everything. Perfect job, perfect girlfriend, perfect life. Until he finds out otherwise.
1. Chapter 1: Gone

December 24

I rubbed my bruised jaw and caressed her hand. Hell, Jason had every right to punch me. I deserved it and much more. I couldn't get the image of her sprawled across the living room out of my head.

_3 Days Ago  
_

_"Sookie, are you still at work? I thought you'd be home by now. We have our celebration to get to," I made sure to inject a little extra smolder to my words._

_"Eric, why are you calling me?" she sounded tired. That's odd. Though I guess she's been working longer hours lately. I don't remember seeing her much._

_"It's the 21st. Winter solstice. Longest night of the year and our yearly star gazing adventure. I know you didn't forget. What's up?" Now I was confused. She had started the tradition years ago, when we were kids. As we grew up and grew closer and became a couple, the tradition had only grown more sacred._

_"Eric, I assume you're in the house. Go into the living room and look around."_

_I followed her instructions and gave the living room a cursory once over. My eyes slid across the plush grey sofa, the black plush ottoman acting as a coffee table, the IKEA bookshelves and the slate grey fireplace. Then I looked closer. The hideous afghan that Sookie had dragged from her Gran's house wasn't draped in its usual place on the back of the couch. The pictures that usually dotted the bookshelves weren't in their spot. Come to think of it, there weren't that many books on the shelves either._

_"Sookie? Where's all your stuff?"_

_All I heard was a sigh. "Do I really need to spell it out for you Eric? I moved out. Actually I moved out at the end of October."_

_Dumbstruck. That's the only way to describe how I felt at that particular moment._

_"Why?" I managed to choke that out at least._

_"Why not? You were so busy that we never saw each other. This isn't a relationship. There isn't even a THIS anymore. Hell, you couldn't even call us roommates. That much is clear from the fact that it took you two months to even realize that I've been gone. Just-don't call me Eric."_

_I blinked as the phone disconnected in my ear._

_She's gone. She's gone? And I didn't notice? That can't be right. She has to be lying. But…Sookie doesn't lie. I threw myself onto the sofa and pressed another familiar number._

_"Hello, Snarky Sidekicks at your service. This is Pam. What do you want?"_

_"Pam, where's Sookie?" I cringed when I heard how pathetic and weak my voice sounded._

_She sighed. What is with everyone sighing at me today?_

_"You finally noticed?"_

_What?! Finally noticed? She knew?_

_"You knew? You knew she was gone and you didn't tell me? What the fuck, Pam!" my shock was morphing quickly into anger._

_"Why would I? She's my best friend and she just wanted to forget. And honestly after what she's been going through, it didn't seem like the time to disregard her wishes. We're all just trying to get her better."_

_Shock to anger and now rapidly approaching panic._

_"Better? What's wrong with her? Pam!"_

_She paused and I swear I heard her teeth gnashing. "See. THIS is why I'm not telling you anything. You haven't even seen her in months. Lafayette and Preston are taking care of her. Hell, even Jason has spent almost every other night with her. And you, the man who supposedly loves her more than life itself, have no idea what the fuck I'm talking about. Fuck you Eric!"_

_For the second time in twenty minutes, the sound of a phone disconnecting sounded in my ear. I stared at the phone for a moment before mashing the appropriate buttons to call Lafayette._

_"Laf! Let me talk to Sookie!" I demand before he even had a chance to talk._

_"Uh-hello?" a confused male voice sounded on the other end of the phone. And it definitely wasn't Lafayette._

_"Who is this?"_

_"Uh-who is this? You're the one who called us."_

_I pinched the bridge of my nose and clenched my cell phone tightly. "Who is this? I'm looking for Lafayette because Pam said that Sookie was staying with him."_

_"Oh." There was a moment of silence. "You must be Eric."_

_My name sounded like the filthiest of swears spilling from his lips._

_"Yes I am. And I have no idea who you are. Let me speak to Lafayette or Sookie," I demand. "Please."_

_"At least you're trying to be polite, that is more than I expected. Listen, Sookie doesn't want to talk to you. We're taking care of her," the voice snidely informed me, which only served to make my anger rise again._

_"Who is 'we'? Why does she need to be taken care of?" I tried to keep the growl out of my voice but I don't think I succeeded._

_"There are many people taking care of her. Please respect her decision and refrain from contacting her," his voice was level and I could hear a note of forced politeness, as if we were discussing the weather. It pissed me off. Then I heard a muted sob._

_"She's right there?! Let me talk to her! Please, God I'll do anything, just let me talk to her," I was fully aware of my sharp descent into abject desperation, but at this point I didn't care. I was so close. My body had unconsciously jolted upright, as if my success depended on my posture. I wish it did, since at the moment it was impeccable._

_He sighed. Again, I wondered what all the sighing was about. But then I heard a shuffle._

_"Eric? Why can't you just leave me alone?" Sookie sniffled noisily into the phone._

_"Sookie, I have no idea what is going on. Please, just come over and talk, baby. That's all I ask. Please! I'll get some food and we can talk. Please?" I begged. I'm man enough to admit that I begged._

_"Eric," I could hear the hesitation in her voice. I had to capitalize._

_"Sookie, please! I love you! I need to know what's going on."_

_"Fine. I'll be over in an hour. Is that alright?" She sounded defeated. I hated it, but I had to figure this out._

_"That's perfect. I'll see you then. I love you, baby!" I caught another sigh as I started to press the end button._

_I was frozen on the couch for a moment or two before I leapt up and raced upstairs. I tore through the bedroom and into the en suite. Rushing through my shower, I made sure to primp a little extra when I was done. I dashed into the huge walk in closet that Sookie had specially designed for all of our things when we moved in. I realized that her half was empty._

_How the fuck did I not notice this sooner?_

_It also didn't escape my notice that my available supply of clean clothes was rapidly dwindling. Did I really never do laundry? Sighing (now I was even doing it!), I pulled on jeans and a worn tee. I rushed down the stairs while ordering a pizza. I grabbed my wallet and keys, slipped my feet into my flip flops and rushed out to the car._

_Even with all the drama and uncertainty, I had to smile at the purr my baby let out. I took a moment to appreciate my '69 Camaro. It was fully restored and had a fresh new bright blue paint job with white stripes on the hood. I loved it. I tore down the driveway and sped to the pizza place, conscious of my rapidly dwindling time._

_I raced in and out of the tiny pizzeria and jetted back towards home. I grimaced when I noticed Sookie's craptastic old yellow Beetle. I was puzzled since I remembered her talking about getting a new car. I wanted to make it back before her, but apparently she still had her key because she wasn't sitting on the porch. I balanced the pizzas on one hand and shouldered the front door open._

_"Sookie? I got Westshore spinach pizza for you!" I'll never know how she ate that shit. Pepperoni all the way. Weird, she hadn't answered yet._

_I made my way into the kitchen and set the pizzas on the counter. Then I rounded the corner into the living room. My heart leapt into my throat at the sight that greeted me. With each new detail I noticed, my heart skipped another beat._

_My Sookie sprawled unconscious on the hardwood floor…_

_…the red halo of blood circling her head…_

_…the odd bend of her legs and arms, as if she'd just crumbled…_

_…the bones jutting out of her shoulders…_

_…the sickly pale color of her skin._

_I ran over to her form and fumbled around to find a pulse. Tears blurred my eyes when I couldn't find one. I spastically jabbed at buttons on my phone._

_The click of an answer sounded in my ear. "911, what is your emergency?"_


	2. Chapter 2: Extenuating Circumstances

Present

I shook my head trying to clear the ghastly image. No matter how many times I tried to forget, it assaulted me every time my eyes closed. Every blink, when I rubbed my eyes, every time I tried to sleep…her lifeless body was all I could see.

I still smell the coppery tang of her blood. My mind refused to process that the girl laying there was actually my Sookie. I was in denial, and I knew it. Now, ask me if I cared?

A nurse came in and started whatever medical nonsense she needed to do. I was so strung out at that point that I barely even noticed when she started talking to me.

"Sir? Visiting hours are almost over and-" she seemed timid, but I still cut her off curtly.

"I'm not leaving."

"But, sir-"

I sighed. This was becoming a habit with everyone it seemed. "Look, talk to Doctor Kaplan. We have some extenuating circumstances. I'm not leaving her."  
She nodded her head and scampered out of the room. I lowered my head and rested it on the edge of the bed-that god forsaken bed where the love of my life wouldn't wake up. She had to wake up. She just had to.

_3 Days Ago- Hospital Emergency Room_

_Jason raced into the ER and bypassed me completely on his way to the desk._

_"Jason!" I rushed over to him without even thinking. He ignored me for a moment while the supremely unhelpful woman made bedroom eyes at him and he barked a reprimand at her in annoyance. Then he turned to me._

_"What happened?" he glowered at me and I took a step back. Jason had always been one of my best friends and now I was definitely on the receiving end of his ire._

_"She came over to talk. I promised her pizza and her car was already in the driveway when I got home. So I took the pizza in the kitchen. I found her unconscious in the living room," I managed not to stutter, was a major accomplishment with the state my emotions were in._

_"What was she doing at your place anyways?" his crossed arms and defensive stance were starting to make me nervous._

_I fidgeted. "I asked her to come over and talk. I have no idea what's going on and I needed to know."_

_"You don't deserve an explanation, dickhead. I'm going to go find out where she is. Why don't you make yourself useful and call everyone?" Jason turned back to the woman who now held out a post it with Sookie's room number on it. He strode quickly through the automatic doors and disappeared; I sank heavily into the waiting room chairs._

_Resignedly, I decided to do as Jason asked. I figured he was pissed at me enough for whatever was going on. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and hit Pam's speed dial._

_"Snarky Sidekicks, what's your pleasure?"_

_"Pam?" my voice was nearly a whisper._

_"Eric," She sighed again; I didn't have the energy to be annoyed. "I told you to leave her alone. I'm not helping you get to her," she sounded bored. I could just picture her filing her perfectly manicured nails._

_"Pam, she's in the hospital. She-"_

_"WHAT? You mother…" I held the phone away from my ear until the noise died down._

_"Are you done so I can tell you what happened?" the waver in my voice must have stunned her for a moment, so I took my chance. "She came over to talk. I was getting the pizza I promised her. Then I found her in the living room unconscious and bleeding. She's in the ER now and Jason's with her. They won't let see with her. God, Pam, she is so skinny! I've never...what if…what if she…" the tears finally started and I tried to mute the sob that escaped my mouth._

_Pam was silent for a few moments. "Eric, I'll be right there. Do you need me to call everyone else?"_

_I nodded, but then remembered that she couldn't see me, "Ye-, yes, please. Thank you, Pam. I don't know what's been going on, but I know I can't lose her."_

_"I'll be there soon Eric."_

_A click sounded in my ear, but the ominous absence of reassurance from her was what really shook me._

_I sat in those chairs that I'm sure were deliberately designed to make you as uncomfortable as possible and waited. I felt as if I was in some sort of weird suspended animation where nothing was real._

_People came and went, bled and cried. And none of it reached me. I was numb and I was almost grateful for it. Pam rushed into the automatic doors and immediately came to my side._

_"Eric! How is she? What did they say?" I took a moment to take in her appearance. My normally immaculately dressed and groomed sister was wearing jeans. Jeans with holes no less. And a ratty old Rush shirt that I recognized as one of our Dad's. She was even wearing flip flops. I didn't think she even OWNED flip flops._

_"They won't tell me anything! They rushed her back and Jason's with her, but since I'm not family, they won't tell me anything. Something about privacy laws or something," I grabbed onto her and buried my face in her neck to muffle the sobs that had started again._

_Her stiffened form gradually relaxed and she began stroking my back. "Eric, she'll be ok. Sookie's a fighter. Let me see if I can get an update from Jason."  
I sat down and leaned back in my seat while she fiddled with her phone and sent a text. I took one shuddering breath after another and tried to imagine that everything was how it used to be._

_"You son of a bitch!" was the only warning I got before my jaw was on fire and the chair I was sitting in had fallen on its side. Meanwhile, I had been thrown back and was sprawled across the floor._

_"What the-?" I looked up through slightly starry eyes to see Jason. He had the ugliest look on his face that I've ever seen._

_"Are you happy now? As if it wasn't enough to completely break her, now you've got her on the verge of death! You stupid mother fucker!" he reeled his fist back in preparation for another blow, but thankfully I was saved by hospital security. He may be a head shorter and wiry, but that fucker packed a wallop._

_"Sir! This isn't the place. Can you calm down or do we need to escort you out?" the hulking man who had a firm grip on Jason's fist pulled him slightly away from my still sprawled out form._

_"Nah, I'm good," he shrugged off the guard and rolled his shoulders. Then he noticed Pam, who'd conveniently sat silently by while he pummeled my face._

_"Pam! Why did she do it? She was doing so good!"_

_She gripped him tightly in a hug as he sobbed into her shoulder. I guess she was the go-to for comfort._

_"We were all afraid she'd slip. It was bound to happen one way or another. Let's find a private place to fill Eric in-" she glared at Jason as he let out a small growl "look, he deserves to know. You can obviously see how upset he is and he has no idea the extent of what has happened. This way you can tell us what the doctor said. Is that okay?"_

_"Well, I guess it has to be, now doesn't it? Just tell me you're not siding with him just cause he's your brother. You owe Sookie more than that and you know it."_

_"Jason, you know where I stand. On everything. Let's just find somewhere to talk," Pam stood and slowly moved to the reception desk and quietly made her inquiries. Jason staunchly refused to look my way, which just left me more baffled than before._

_"Come on guys, this way. I already texted Lafayette to tell him where to find us," she motioned for us to follow and led us down the hall._


	3. Chapter 3: Tell Me

Present Day

I jolted awake with the vision of Sookie's lifeless body flashing behind my eyes. I tried to shake the cobwebs from my brain as I scanned the room. My iPod was still playing quietly on the table by the bed. The doctor said it might help. The TV was off and the monitors were still beeping their incessant cadence. The only difference was the beautiful blue eyes staring back into mine.

_3 Days Ago_

_"Tell me."_

_Yeah, I was a little demanding, but the love of my life was laying in a hospital bed and I had no idea why. Sue me._

_"Wait for Laf and Preston. They're parking," Pam put her hand gently on my wrist as I huffed back into the horrifyingly hard chair._

_Jason glared at me and Pam stared at the faux finish on the wall. I replayed the events of this monumentally screwed up night in my head. I come home all excited for a night with my girl. When I can't find her anywhere, I come to discover she moved out. And not only did she move out, but she moved out months ago._

_I was flung out of my musings by the door swinging violently inward, colliding with the chair closest to it, sending said chair sailing into my knee._

_"Where is he?!" the stranger's eye darted around the room and settled on me. A sneer crossed his face and his hand clenched into a fist._

_"Preston, I presume?" I heard the answering sneer in my voice, but couldn't temper it. Or maybe I just didn't want to._

_Lafayette pushed his way into the room and placed himself in between us. "Don't. Just don't. It ain't ALL his fault."_

_Jason leapt to his feet and Pam placed herself between him and Jason._

_"Jason! Stop. You know what he means."_

_After a tremendously tense few moments, Preston and Jason shuffled to the chairs on the far side of the room and Lafayette parked himself in the chair next to me. Pam resumed her seat in the center of the makeshift circle._

_I leaned forward and steepled my fingers. My eyes darted from Lafayette to Pam._

_"Tell me."_

_"When you opened Muses, things got really busy for you. Life got in the way. It's not an excuse, but considering the hours you keep and the hours Sookie had..." Pam sighed. The fact that she used the past tense HAD did not escape my notice. "She got overwhelmed. She started drinking a little to cope. Then a little turned into a lot. When drinking wasn't enough she began self medicating. Some of her old issues came out and she began dieting. You know how insecure she used to be about her body. Well, then she started cutting. Mind you, WE didn't know anything except that she was losing weight until the end of October, right before she moved out. She hadn't seen you for any real amount of time in months, so she asked us not to tell you. She knew you were busy and didn't want to bother you. None of us had talked ti you in awhile, so we figured we ere doing the right thing. it was obvious to us that she needed help. We helped her move out and we've been trying to get her better ever since. But it's going slow. She won't really talk to us."_

_The look Pam gave me as she spoke was of full on pity. I know my face looked pathetic. How had I not known any of this? How was it possible I didn't notice Sookie fucking MOVED OUT? I know I slept at the bar some nights, but…_

_Holy fuck._

_"I'm such a fucking…FUCK!" I fisted my hair and pulled._

_Lafayette grabbed my hands and pried them away from my head. Good thing cause I came away with a few clumps of hair._

_"How? Just…how?! She…she…what…?!" my rapid breathing was apparently the key to thawing Jason's heart. At least for right now. And only a little._

_"Dude, breathe. Calm down," he moved closer and patted my shoulder. "You're not off the hook with me. But I do see the massive misunderstanding this all is. Let's figure this out."_

_"What do we do? I-I can't just…I need her. I love her!"_

_The prick in the corner scoffed and officially pushed me over my bullshit limit._

_"Alright dickwad. Get the fuck out!"_

_"I have more of a right to be here than you! Where the fuck have you been the last 9 months? At your fucking bar. You have no idea what is going on in her life because you haven't been there. All you've been doing is chasing anything in a skirt and making her miserable!"_

_The steady rise of his voice distracted me for a moment. When my mind replayed what he'd spat at me I jumped to my feet._

_"I have NEVER cheated on Sookie! NEVER! Who the fuck are you to accuse me of something so fucking ridiculous!"_

_"Pft. Why don't I believe you, asshole?" He shot to his feet and stalked closer to me._

_Lafayette stood slowly and inserted himself between us once again._

_"Pres, baby-you know I love you. But back your shit down. Now. I know Eric and he'd never do that to Sook," Lafayette pointed to the abandoned chair on the other side of the room. "Now, everyone. We needs to come up with a game plan. Our Sook needs to get her fine ass back to normal. How is we gonna get this done?"_

_Lafayette was right. I might want to kill the douchetard in front if me right now, but my main concern is Sookie. _

_"Okay, so first thing to tackle would be...the weight? Or the cutting?" Pam's voice cut through my fogged brain._

_I couldn't believe my beautiful, kind hearted, perfect Sookie had been reduced to this shell of herself. All this shit was happening to her because of me. I couldn't help but think I don't deserve her._

_"Damn right you don't douchebag!"_

_Huh, must have said that last bit out loud._

_"First thing we need to do is get her talking. Obviously there were some pretty huge gaps in communication between you two," Jason gestured to me. "She never said it, but I got the feeling that she thought you cheated on her as well. Maybe that's where Preston got the idea from."_

_Preston nodded silently. Which was a damn good decision on his part since he might've lost some teeth had he opened that fucking loud mouth of his._

_"I don't know where she would have gotten that idea. I know I got busy...I didn't realize how busy, but I would NEVER cheat. Especially on Sookie! You all know how I feel about her. Jason-you should know better than anyone," I gave him a pointed glare and his face paled._

_"I forgot about that. Damn. Fuck, I was so wasted I totally forgot about that," Jason leaned back and fisted his hands over his eyes. "Eric, I'm sorry man. Wow-I feel like a fucktard."_

_Lafayette, Pam and Preston were looking between us in confusion._

_"Care to fill us in, hookahs?"_

_"Last New Year's Eve Eric cornered me at the party. He...he needed to ask me something," Pam gasped as he paused._

_"No...shit man, for reals?!" Lafayette punched my shoulder._

_"What? What am I missing?" Preston's indignant pout made me twitch. However, in the interest of banding together and helping Sookie, I decided to play nicely. _

_"Sookie's very old school. I wanted to get Jason's permission to ask Sookie to marry me," my teeth gritted together dangerously, but I managed to be polite._

_"Oh shit. Fuck dude," and suddenly I'm in his good graces. This guy was weird._

_"How did the time get away from me? I had a plan. I was gonna ask at the summer solstice and...I have no idea where the last year has gone," I gulped around the lump blocking my throat._

_"You were working so hard to get Muses open by St. Patrick's Day. She was so proud of you when you opened. Sookie had me take over Sidekicks so that she could celebrate opening night with you. She wanted to be there for you and help out that first week. But then everything started going wrong, remember? The plumbing was fucked to hell, then you had all those staffing issues, then Longshadow stole all that money...it was just one thing after another," Pam ticked off our never ending list of problems in her fingers. I nodded, but I was still confused._

_"But I don't understand why she'd ever think I cheated? Maybe I got caught up with all the shit. Maybe I wasn't home as often as I should have been. I own up to that. I was a shit boyfriend and I can understand that. But I have no idea where this cheating thing came from," I must have looked pathetic because I heard a deep intake of breath from across the room._

_"I may know."_


	4. Chapter 4: She's A Fighter

Present Day

"Sookie!" I leapt to my feet and leaned over to hug her. God, i felt relieved. But she shied away from heart clenched and I almost gasped in defeat.

"Eric," her voice sounded dead. "Where am I? Well-that might be a stupid question. Why am I here?" She looked so forlorn. I hated seeing her so lost.

"Do you remember coming over to the house to talk to me?"

"Yes. You weren't there. Just like always. So I let myself in to wait. I...i think i went through the kitchen into the living room, Then…then I don't remember," she squinted in confusion.

"I got back with the pizza and found you unconscious," I felt like a broken record having to repeat myself yet again. "I called an ambulance. And here we are-three days later. What happened, Sook? Why couldn't you just talk to me?"

She scoffed. "All you care about is your bar and fucking any goddamned barfly who looks your way. You didn't even notice that I moved out for Christ sakes! Why the hell would I try to talk to you when it was so obvious that I was absolute last person YOU wanted to talk to?!"

My eyes were swimming with unshed tears as I stared at the broken shell of the woman I love. I grabbed her hand and brought it to my lips.

"Baby, I am so sorry I came across that way. Yo could not be more wrong. Please Sook-please let me help you. I want to be here for you, WITH you. We all do-Pam, Jason, Lafayette...even Preston. Who I feel the need to tell you is a douche and I despise. But I will do anything for you-even tolerate him. Please baby, just...let us in, let us help." The tears began falling as I spoke, but I made no move to brush them away. They expressed the emotion I felt, even if I wasn't doing a great job at it.

She shifted uncomfortably on the bed and her gown slipped down to reveal her bruised and bony shoulder. More tears fought their way out at the sight.

"Eric," she sighed. "I...i cant do this. Just...please, leave me alone."

"Sookie," I whispered, "God, baby, please! Please!" My voice was nearing hysterical as she gave my hand a slight squeeze. I shuddered when I realized all the strength she had went into that action.

"Just for now Eric, Please? I just-I need some time," her beautiful azure eyes pleaded for me to understand.

I laid a gentle kiss on the back of her hand and nodded silently. I paused at the door to glance over my shoulder. Time. I could give her that.

_3 Days Ago_

_My eyes shot over to Preston. I stared at him shock and hatred._

_"You? She talked to you?" I spat out with little control of my inflection._

_I gotta admit -that hurt a bit._

_"Well, ever since she moved in with us, I've been with her the most. Lafayette's been picking up the slack at Sidekicks. Sookie said he was the only one she trusted to take over 'her kitchen'."_

_I could almost hear her say that in her "angry kitten" voice. _

_"Around Thanksgiving, she finally started talking to me. A little. You gotta understand, when she first moved in, we were getting maybe five whole sentences out of her a day. She'd literally sit in her room and stare out the window. But one day she just...she walked in and started talking. But she made sure to wait until Laf was at the cafe," he paused and shot an apologetic look our way. "I don't think she wanted to trouble you since you and Eric are friends."_

_Lafayette looked devastated. I rubbed his shoulder and he shot a hand out to grip Pam._

_"She could have talked to me. I would have listened!" Lafayette pleaded._

_"We know Laf. She wouldn't talk to any of us. Remember, all she'd talk to me about was the cafe. She kept insisting on going over and over and over the paperwork. The invoices, the schedule, anything to keep her occupied so that I couldn't talk to her about anything real," Pam's voice was filled with pain. I don't remember her ever showing so much emotion._

_"Anyways, apparently she went to the bar sometime at the end of April or the beginning of May. Actually I think it was Cinco de Mayo," Preston shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You'd been busy what with the opening and then the plumbing fiasco. She got it. But she hadn't seen you in over a month and she wanted to surprise you at the bar. So, she got all prettied up and drove over to see you," he shuddered slightly, "She admitted she was more than a little horny. So, she shows up and asks whatever tramp you had on the door if you were busy. The girl gave her the high eyebrow and said that you were more than busy with the new girl, Faith. She told Sookie that if she was another of your groupies to just get in line cause you'd be busy for awhile. Sookie didn't believe her."_

_Well, that made me all warm and fuzzy._

_"She went in and saw Sam at the bar. He ran away like the scared little puppy he is. Then she started to worry. Then she saw you, coming out of the back with that skinny little ho bag. And she said Faith looked—a little worse for wear. So, she left. She said she waited up for you that night to confront you. But you never came home. So she opened the cafe the next morning, with no sleep. And after that, you only saw her in passing."_

_I'm sure I looked retarded. _

_"What?! I have no fucking clue what you're talking about!"_

_"Shit. I remember that night! I was there!"_

_Jason shot out of his chair and began wearing a path in the hideous hospital carpet as he paced._

_"Then fill me in because I'm confused as fuck."_

_Pam looked between us and Lafayette finally went to sit next to Preston, who he grabbed onto like a lifeline. My esteem for the prick shot up a fraction of a notch when he started stroking Lafayette's hand lovingly._

_"I remember that skank he's talking about. She made bedroom eyes at any-fucking-thing with a dick. The cat fight from that night was the last straw," Jason paused his pacing and gave me a significant look. _

_Good thing cause I was about to yak all over his Chucks._

_I gulped back the bile. Fuck. I remember that night._

_"Someone maybe want to fill in the peanut gallery over here?" Pam's patience finally ran out._

_"That was the night I found out about the missing money. I'd been having problems with some of the waitresses having quickies in the bathroom with the customers on their breaks. I couldn't figure out exactly who was 'partaking' of the clientele, but that night...god that night was epic. That might be what started this whole shit storm," I hunched over and wrapped my arms around my stomach, trying to take deep breaths to calm down. I rocked myself in the chair for comfort and to help me focus on the events of that fateful night._

_"Still confused. Thanks for the amazing explanation bro," Pam's snark had returned. Yay._

_"That girl-Faith-she was a new hire and apparently only took the job to bag herself a sugar daddy. She about it heard from her friend Heather...who I had to fire her a few days before this fucking epic catastrophe. Anyways, apparently Heather told Faith about her little 'rendezvous' in the bathrooms and Faith decided that it sounded like a great way to bag a man. However, she tried to bag a man with a very possessive wife. Jason and I had to break up a cat fight in the middle of the dance floor. I had to drag Faith back to my office to wait for the cops. Jason had to retreat to my office with a bag of frozen peas on his eye," I snickered involuntarily. Jason landed a light punch on my arm._

_"Hey, I found out a few days later that the bitch was pregnant. Pregnant and possessive? That slut waitress never stood a chance! For the record, breaking up a cat fight by stepping in the middle is a stupid idea."_

_Lafayette barked out a laugh and Pam raised her immaculately groomed eyebrow._

_"You got your ass handed to you by a pregnant girl?" Pam's snort set off everyone else._

_Damn, it felt good to let off a little of the steam._

_Once we all quieted, I thought over the next set of events._

_"Well, obviously I had to call the cops. It took them forever to get to the bar. I was tied up with paperwork and statements and insurance for the next few days. I remember I slept at the bar for about a week," I made a face as I tried to remember the exact timeline. "When I was going over the financials for the insurance company is when I found that assload of cash missing. It took our accountant months to figure out where that was hemorrhaging from. Fucking Longshadow!" _

_I growled angrily. That whole situation took months to fucking clean up. I shook my head. I could see where everything had gone to hell, but it didn't make me feel any less guilty. Hw the hell could I have gone that long without seeing her? Why didn't she call me out on it?_

_"Okay y'all. Since Sook is stable, I have gots to get my fine ass home and in bed. Someone gots to open the cafe in the morning. Will you be in, sweet thang?"_

_Pam scrunched her nose. "I-I...I don't know. I guess I could come in later in the morning-"_

_"Don't worry about it sweetie. I'll go in with Laf and hold down the fort," Preston rose and pulled Pam up into a hug._

_"She'll get better. I know it. She's a fighter," Preston whispered in Pam's ear._

_She sniffled and hugged him to her tightly. _

_I stood and grudgingly held out my hand to him. "Thank you. For taking care of her when I didn't."_

_Surprisingly, he took my hand and shook it. "My pleasure dude. She's a wonderful girl."_

_Lafayette squeezed me to him before grabbing hold of Preston's hand and retreating from the room._

_Jason looked around tiredly. "Are you staying?"_

_"You couldn't pay me to be anywhere else."_

_"What about the bar?" _

_"Eh, that's what I pay people for. I think I deserve a break for now. Especially with everything that's happened. My bar isn't worth losing Sookie. Not again," I choked back another round of tears._

_"Alright. I'm gonna go add you to the list of people who can see her and get updates on her and shit. Give me a little bit," Jason quickly left Pam and I alone to go figure out the logistics of hospital paperwork._

_Pam had her arms wrapped tightly around herself and she looked at me with such lost eyes._

_"Come here," I opened my arms for her and she nearly bowled me over in her rush to break down._

_"I can't lose her Eric! She's been my best friend for so long!"_

_Her broken sobs were just tearing me up even more. I can't believe how much I'd fucked up everything and everyone around me._

_"We won't lose her Pam. Even Preston knows-she's a fighter. We'll get her back."_

_I only wished I believed those words myself._


	5. Chapter 5: A Punch in the Gut

**Okay so I normally done do authors notes, but it's been a long time and I feel bad. I mainly update my Wordpress site (you can find the address in my bio) and forgot to update here. I sincerely apologize. Also you can find other cool stuff like casting bios and other cool pics for this story if you're so inclined. I'll be uploading all the chapters I have done a of now, so it'll be up to date. **

**Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Present Day - December 25, 2006

My back ached. My eyes were blurry and stinging. And I'm pretty sure I smelled. And not like a field of poppies either.

I may have agreed to give Sookie time, but I never said I'd leave. So now, here I sit-in an impersonal and blank hospital waiting room, cramped in an uncomfortable mini sized chair.

Merry fucking Christmas.

Considering the ungodly hour (4.32 am according to the watch Sookie had given me last Christmas), there weren't too many people milling about. Which is why the cacophony of noise that swept into the room like a tornado jerked me out of my half unconscious sleep deprived state.

"Oh baby boy!"

I blinked.

"Mom?!" I rubbed my eyes. "Am I hallucinating?"

I glanced at the abandoned coffee cups on the table in front of me and counted silently. Six. Over the course of the last few hours...yeah, I may be hallucinating. Well, at least that's what I thought until I was grabbed roughly and squeezed to within an inch of my life.

"Mom! Need...to...breath!" I gasped as she released me.

"Sophie! Let go of him. Geez, we just walked in," my fathers soft voice penetrated the bubble my mother had created with her fussing.

"Oh shush Godric! Let me hug my son!"

"Dad? What are you guys doing here? I thought you were somewhere in India."

"We were. Until your sister called."

I gulped. I swear my dad loves Sookie almost as much I do. The look he was giving me would have terrified me if I hadn't known for a fact that he wouldn't kill his only son.

"Explain. We got the bare minimum from Pam. She'll be here later, by the way. Apparently Sookie isn't allowed to wallow and everyone will be bringing Christmas to her," he settled his lanky frame into another chair and trained his eyes on me.

I gulped. Again. He may be kind, gentle and generally soft spoken, but he could be a scary motherfucker when he wanted to be.

"Massive amounts of miscommunication. I didn't know she moved out. I called her to find out where she was so we could do our winter solstice celebration. She told me then. I asked her to come talk to me since I had no clue what was going on. I left to get pizza..." I paused and took a shaky breath. My mom reached over to stroke my back. "When I came back, she was unconscious on the living room floor."

My mom pulled me into another bone crushing hug and I just sat there like a toddler, sniffling into her sweatshirt. When I was finally able to extricate myself from her vice like grip, I looked to my dad who had tears shimmering in his eyes.

"Alright. Here is what were going to do. You-" he thrust his finger violently in my direction before wiping away a stray tear that managed to escape, "-are going to beg, plead, grovel...whatever you have to do to get her to listen to what you have to say. Then you will listen to everything she has to say. And then you can both mutually decide where to go from here. This your mess to clean health issues, which I noticed you neglected to include in your narrative, are the issues that all of us will need to band together for. Now-I'm going to go see my girl and get some answers."

I watched in astonishment as he walked away before I slouched down once again with my eyes closed, trying yet again to banish the gruesome images that lurked there.

_2 Days Ago_

_"Sir?" A voice interrupted my pacing._

_I looked up blearily. The woman before me was way too short. I could have sworn she came up to my hip, although my eyes could have been playing tricks on me._

_"Sorry, who are you?"_

_"Are you..." She consulted the chart in her hand, "Eric Northman?"_

_I nodded._

_"I'm Dr. Ludwig, Miss Stackhouse's doctor. This-," she motioned behind her to the previously unnoticed man in a mousy brown sport coat, "is Dr. Kaplan, Sookie's psychologist. Mr. Stackhouse indicated that we are authorized to speak with you and we were wondering if you had a few minutes."_

_I sat heavily in the first chair available. "I have all the time in the world. I not leaving. Is she okay? Is she going to be okay?"_

_"Perhaps we could find a more private place to discuss matters," Dr. Kaplan cast a glance around the waiting room and the people scattered around it._

_"Yes, of course. Come along," Dr. Ludwig marched out of the room while I brought up the rear. She stopped at the desk at the end of Sookie's hallway and motioned to a nurse seated there. "We'll be in the conference room. Alert me immediately if anything happens on Miss Stackhouse's leads."_

_After getting a firm nod from the nurse, the little woman led us down the hall. I glanced longingly at the closed door to Sookie's room as we passed. I noticed we only had two doorways in between us when they led me into what looked like a plush hotel suite, but without the bed._

_They sat down with no hesitancy and gestured for me to do the same._

_"Now, Mr. Northman. I'd like to tell you my part of things first and then leave you with Dr. Kaplan to go over the more in depth issues. Is that alright?" Dr. Ludwig's gruff voice broke into my mind's wanderings and I nodded my consent. "Alright. Miss Stackhouse is dangerously underweight, I'm sure you can probably tell. Her body is beginning to shut down, which is why she collapsed. When she fell, she hit her head fairly hard and the resulting concussion caused her brain to swell, which is what were dealing with now. Besides her weight and the obvious head injury, there are a few other issues that we need to watch. Her liver has been severely taxed due to the alcohol and drugs she'd been abusing. As I understand it, she quit these behaviors a few months ago," Dr. Kaplan nodded when she looked to him, "which is a good thing. The damage isn't too extensive and it should reverse itself if she maintains a healthy lifestyle from this point forward. She'll have some scarring from the cuts, but there are products like Mederma that can help with those. Her menstrual cycle has stopped and there's been some damage there. She's developed some hormonal issues."_

_My blank look must have clued her in that I had no fucking clue what she'd just said._

_"Her hormones are all wacky, for lack of a better way to explain. These hormonal changes can cause disruptions in her menstrual cycle, infertility, depression, thyroid problems...any number of issues. The only way we'll know for sure is to wait and see. It could have significant impact on her life, or next to none. Because her behaviors have been pretty short lived and seem to be a result of an obsessive compulsion, there is hope that the effects won't be as serious as they could be."_

_I felt like I'd been hit in the gut. My thoughts swirled of Sookie and our future. Would she even want a future with me? I felt unshed tears sting my eyes and my breathing was rapidly getting hysterical. Dr. Kaplan's hand landed on my shoulder lightly._

_"Breathe, Mr. Northman. Breathe..."_

_He mimed taking deep breaths with me as Dr. Ludwig excused herself silently._

_"I know this is a lot to take in and I'm sorry to have to add more to your shoulders. I can see how affected you are by this news. Can I assume that your feelings for Sookie haven't changed, despite the unfortunate circumstances?"_

_"I love her. I'd do anything for her. I hate that I let things get this bad and had absolutely no idea," my breathing sped up again. "I just can't...please just-tell me...God I love her!"_

_The tears finally slid down my cheeks and I sobbed unabashedly. The doctor waited patiently for my sobbing to subside and my breathing to regulate slightly. It seemed like hours before I finally was able to pull myself together enough to talk rationally._

_"I can see you needed that. Do you feel better?" I nodded my affirmative and Dr. Kaplan continued. "I'd like to see you with Sookie after she's released. Maybe do some couple's sessions to try to avoid these problems recurring. I think thats the best way to get some of these issues out in the open and begin communicating. Does that sound do-able?" His soft spoken demeanor helped calm me immensely. I could see why Sookie would feel comfortable going to him to talk through her issues._

_"Anything. YES! Absolutely anything is do-able if she's alright," more tears threatened to fall, but I squeezed them back. "I'm sorry. I just-I need to see her." I stood to leave. " I'll agree to absolutely anything that will help her heal, no questions asked. Always."_

_"Even give her up?"_

_My heart clenched in agony, but I looked at him over my shoulder. "Yes. Even that."_

_He sighed and then shot me a small smile. "And that's why I'm not asking you to."_

_He rose as I began speed walking to the door and he followed silently._

_As I nearly sprinted out the door, he grabbed my shoulder. "I can see how much you love her. Make sure you show her. Don't just tell her...you need to show her."_

_I stopped suddenly and stared at him for a moment. It hit me then that she really didn't know how much I love her and what she means to me. FUCK! I nodded solemnly before darting down the hallways to stand in front of her door. I cracked the door open and slipped inside. The beep of the heart monitor was a steady drone in the background of my thoughts as I clasped her hand and settled on the edge of the chair next to her bed. I rested my head on our clasped hands and stifled a shaky sob._

_"Please baby, please wake up. I love you so much. Let me show you, please..."_

_As I sat there, pleading with any deity I could think of, all I could hope for was a chance to make things right._


	6. Chapter 6: Turn Around

Present Day - Christmas Day 2006

"You can go see her," my fathers voice jarred me to consciousness.

"Wha-?"

So I wasn't the most alert. Sue me.

"Go back and talk to her. She says she wants to see you," my dad gave me a glare and motioned to the door. I took note of the tear tracks streaking his face and stood slowly.

"Thanks dad. Are you guys alright in here?" I felt nervous all of a sudden.

My mom gave an exasperated huff and nearly shoved me out the door before she turned to collapse into tears against my dad's chest.

My feet dragged as I made my way down the hallway. I stood outside her room for a moment, just to collect my thoughts. Then I gave a gentle knock before poking my head inside.

"Come on in," her voice floated to me even though she was turned towards the window.

I shuffled in and sat gingerly on the chair beside the bed. Did hospitals put in bids for who could make the most absolutely uncomfortable furniture ever?

She sniffled. My heart clenched in my chest. I longed to reach out and hold her. I didn't want to get slapped though. I felt so unsure of myself and it was a completely foreign feeling.

"So. We're supposed to talk and figure out what the hell happened." Her voice drifted to me as almost a whisper.

Pretty much.

She snorted. Hmmm...must have said that out loud. I was getting bad about that.

"So-um, do you want to start?"

She finally turned her head my way and my heart stammered somewhere between a clench and a complete skip.

Her gorgeous face was so gaunt and pale. Her cheekbones jutted out under her skin and her eyes were sunken pits. The vibrant blue of those eyes was dimmed to a nasty brackish water color currently rimmed in red thanks to whatever tears she and my dad had been sharing. Her hands, always so fragile and feminine, now resembled an old gnarled woman as they rested on top of her blanket. Skin and bones...literally. I stared at my Sookie, but she wasn't there to see. What have I done?

"I honestly don't know where to start. It seems like we're both a bit on the fucked up side of shit," she snorted, which made my heart lighten for a moment. "At least you still look like a god damned super model, while I completely went off the fucking deep end."

My heart sank right back down to about my knees.

"Sookie-I..." She held up her hand.

"Please. Just let me get this out. I love you. After all this shit and all this time, I love you. God I've loved you for years, it's not going to magically go away with a snap of my fingers. But..." I hated that but, "things have not been and are not okay with us. You completely dropped off the face of the earth. It took you 2 fucking months to notice that I moved out."

She paused and sucked in a rattling breath.

"Jason told me what happened...that night. I knew in my heart that you would never do something like that. But my head got in the way I guess. You know how we'd go at it like rabbits whenever we were within a mile of each other...and then all of a sudden you don't want or need sex? You don't even talk to me. I had come to rely on you so much in the last few years..and then you're just gone. It felt like you'd died. Or like I had..." Her eyes flicked up to mine and she took a deep breath. "If-and this is a big if-if we wanted to try to work on things between us...and this is a huge if since I don't know what I can really handle and I have no idea what you want...we need to be completely honest. Honest about what happened and about how we feel. And it needs to continue, not just be a one time deal."

She sagged as she finished, and I reached my hand out tentatively to hold hers. I took it as a good sign when she didn't fling it back at me.

"Sookie, you-shit...uh...fuck. Okay hold on, let me get my thoughts together," I struggled for a moment and she let out a soft, tinkling giggle. That giggle was the best sound I'd heard in awhile.

Despite going over and over and over what I'd say to Sookie in my head, having to actually articulate the words out loud-in person-right now was proving to be a rather difficult challenge.

"I love you," okay, good start. "I have loved you for years and I highly doubt I will ever stop, no matter what happens between us. This whole clusterfuck of a year...I have no idea how it happened. Honestly it was like I was in some kinda waking coma. Like I knew it was December, and I knew that time had progressed...but I hadn't progressed with it. That doesn't make sense."  
I shook my head in frustration. God, how to I explain to her how I let this happen?

She looked at me with patience and-was that hope?

"Take your time darlin'. It's not like I'm going anywhere," her half hearted attempt at humor made me want to laugh and cry. Simultaneously. I knew with all I had in me that I love this woman, no matter what. I just had to show her.

"I just-when I walked in and saw-when I saw you just...fuck! Sookie!" The tears that had been threatening to fall for the last four days had finally made their bid for freedom and I lost the battle spectacularly. I collapsed forward onto the edge of her bed and sobbed. I clutched her hand like it was my lifeline and I gulped in great heaving breaths, just to try to control myself. My heart nearly broke when she gently attempted to extricate her hand from mine. The sobs just increased in intensity and volume.

"Eric," her soft voice broke through my grief and I looked up in her pale angelic face. "Come here."

And with her arms opened to me, I hugged her to my chest and snuggled in beside her-nurses be damned.

Seconds felt like minutes. Minutes felt like hours. Hours felt like days. And we just sat and held each other.

Until some bitchy fucking cunt decided to burst our bubble.

"Sir! That is unacceptable! You need to-" the brassy blonde with the bad boob job was immediately silenced with a swift flick on the arm from my Sookie.

As inappropriate as it was, my cock sprang to attention.

"Get out of my room, bitch. He can be here with me if he damn well wants to be. Seriously, do you have nothing else to do? I've waited long enough to talk to my man and I'll be damned if you're going to get in the way. Go fuck yourself with a god damned mop handle for all I care, then call Doctor Kaplan and get him in here," Sookie's withering glare was still trained on the shell shocked nurse. "Okay bitch, since you obviously have the IQ of a cucumber-well, that may be insulting to cucumbers, but whatever-I'll talk real slow for you. Get. The. Fuck. Out!"

The nurse scampered like her trashy crotchless panties had been set on fire.

Sookie trained her eyes on the obvious bulge in my jeans and smirked. "Down boy."

I barked out a laugh and pulled her into my chest. When her shoulder bone jutted into my sternum, however, it knocked me right the fuck out of my good mood.

"Why would you do this to yourself, Sookie? Seriously, THIS...this is just way too fucking incomprehensible to me. Why would you hurt yourself like this?" My voice rose in pitch slightly and she sighed.

"Do you remember when we were in high school and I had those problems? When Gran had me go see that counselor?" I nodded. "That was a PG rated version of this. I never told you because I was afraid of how you'd look at me after. Like I was some broken doll. And then when we finally got together...I didn't want you to know how broken I was."

Her head hung in shame and I never wanted to see that again.

"Sookie," I nudged her chin up with my finger, "there is nothing in this world that could make me love you or want you any less. I promise you. Are you able to talk about it? About all or any of it? Because right now, I just really need to understand. Everything that's happened in the last year has been because of an inability to communicate. And if we have a snowball's chance in hell of making things work between us, we need to get that sorted out."

She gulped in a breath and looked into my eyes. Searching...for what I have no idea. But whatever it was she must have found it because I saw the resolve flicker over her face. It made me feel a smidge better that I could still read her so well.

"Eric? Could you-uh-help me?" She winced slightly. I jumped up from the bed and my hands began fluttering over her ineffectually.

"What? What's wrong? What hurts!"

"Calm down. I just want to sit up," she held out her arms and I tugged her up gently. The creak of her bones grinding together made my teeth set on edge.

She pulled her knees up under her and sat Indian style...or criss cross applesauce, as she liked to say. A smile made its way across my face as I remembered that tidbit.

"Come on up," she waited patiently while I hopped up and mimicked her position at the foot of the bed. "Okay. I have what my therapist has so eloquently named-control issues."

I snorted. That was the epitome of an understatement. Lets just say that after attempting to help with the laundry once, I NEVER tried to 'help' again.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Anyways, when things in my life go badly I tend to go a little overboard with control. I know you're thinking of the laundry," she caught me, "but according to Doc, that's actually a very minor manifestation of it. Essentially, I do whatever I can to have any modicum of control over my life, even as I feel like its spiraling out of control. So, when our relationship began...well, for lack of a better word disintegrating, my control issues stepped up a notch."

I nodded, but didn't like where this was going. I swallowed hard but was determined to hear her out.

"If you had been home much during those few weeks before the 'incident' you would have been able to see your reflection in any surface of the house you looked at. But then after...well...it wasn't enough. I didn't feel good enough for you. I thought since you weren't coming home at all anymore that I wasn't enough. So I stopped eating. I wanted to look like the girls I thought you wanted. I didn't know what to do-you were literally at the bar all the time. You didn't take my calls and when I stopped by to see you, you were so busy that you never really SAW me, even when we spoke. Since nothing worked, I needed to forget." she paused to take a deep breath. I scooped her hand up into mine and gave it a gentle squeeze, trying to give her my strength.

"I started having a beer or two with dinner. Nights were the worst because i still expected you to just walk in the door. Then my tolerance built up. So I'd have three or four. Then beer turned into shots. Four turned into six. Six turned into ten. You get the idea. Then, as I lost more weight, everything started hurting. I won't go into the medical shit behind it because its pretty obvious, but the doctor I went to was a fucking joke and just prescribed me some oxy. So I took it. And I felt great for awhile. Then I mixed that with the shots and I felt fan-fucking-tastic! But then it didn't work. So I'd up the dose. I was still getting up and going into work, but I wasn't talking to anyone. Ask Pam. I barely said five words to her in like 6 months. But then in September, I slipped in the kitchen. I was slicing peppers for breakfast service and the knife slipped. I cut my hand open. Really deep too. But I noticed that I didn't quite feel the pain. It was a high, but it didn't really hurt."

She stopped to wipe away some tears that were making their way down my face.

"Don't cry, love. Its not worth it."

I shuddered. "That's like saying YOU'RE not worth it. And you are so very worth it, baby." I drew her into my arms and squeezed her tight. "Sookie, please-you mean everything to me. Please don't say that again."

She pulled away and gazed up at me, her eyes wide. She shot me a smile before she settled back into her former position.

"Well, thank you. But it gets worse." She cringed. I cringed right along with her. "So now that I had this awesome new way to get high, I just combined all three. Couple that with not eating for days on end and I was a fucking mess. It speaks to my sneakiness that it took Pam quite that long to figure it out. She only knew because she caught me-"

My body jolted upright like I'd been stuck with a cattle prod. "She caught you doing what?" I swallowed hard. Did I really want to know?

Sookie looked pained and I knew she didn't want to say exactly what Pam had caught her doing.

"She came in early one day. I guess she was going to corner me or something. But she caught me slicing into my wrist. I'd been wearing sweatbands and long sleeves for months to hide the cuts. But she walked in and startled me and I basically sliced a hell of a lot deeper than I meant to," she held out her left wrist to me. "I still have a pretty gnarly scar."

I gently cradled her wrist in my huge hand and stared at the angry red line. A tear dropped onto her wrist and neither of us made a move to wipe it away. I kissed her marred skin and looked to her to continue.

"After that, things started moving pretty swiftly. She called Jason and Laf...Jason called Doc and I had to go to the ER for stitches. I've been in therapy every day since the end of September. I moved out...I guess that I hoped that you'd notice and come looking for me," she whimpered before continuing. "When you didn't, I asked everyone not to say ANYTHING to you."

I think my heart settled somewhere around the hospital gift shop five floors down.

"Sookie-I am so sorry. So SO sorry. You have no idea," I bowed my head over her hands. "I do NOT know how I got so busy that I...that I...god!"

A breath whooshed out of me as I wilted into myself.

"I didn't know how much trouble the bar would be. I didn't know that droves of women would clamber for my attention. I had to change my number, which is why I never got your calls. I had no idea the depths people will sink to in order to make a buck. I just...I honestly thought I saw you. Maybe I dreamt of you and I was so exhausted that I couldn't tell the difference. I just...god, I am so sorry!"

I leaned forward and laid my head in her lap as I let a few tears escape. I tried to surreptitiously wipe them away, but I knew she saw. Even if she pretended she didn't.

"Me too. I don't honestly know why I took it to this extreme. I've been trying to get better...but Doc says its a compulsion. The first thing they wanted was for me to stop with the oxy, the diet pills and the drinking. I've pretty much stopped all that. The only thing I take is the occasional Tylenol PM if I can't sleep. That was another huge deal...I had insomnia so bad that I'd go days without sleeping. It just...everything sucked," she drew in a shaky breath.

I held her hands in mine and sighed.

"But now, I'm here. My parents are here. Jason, Pam, Lafayette...even that fuckwad Preston. We're here and we're not going anywhere," I brought her hand to my lips. "I've been here since you got here and Muses is fine. I don't need to be there all the time. I want to come and help with Sidekicks. I want you to help with Muses. I want to be partners, like we were before. I want us to go on picnics like we used to and swim in the lake behind Jason's after a barbecue in July. Those simple things that I took for granted before because I knew you'd be there...well, you weren't there anymore. And this was a real wake up for me."

She cringed minutely. "What about the bar?"

I sighed and she finally lifted her eyes to mine.

"Okay listen to me now. And you better sure as fuck hear me," her eyes were wide and she looked terrified. "There is not a single thing in this world that is more important to me than you. You are everything to me. When I realized that you'd moved out...I felt-I felt like I couldn't breathe. I hurt all over. I felt like I'd finally fucked up the one perfect thing in my life. I promised myself that I'd do anything...absolutely ANYTHING to get you back. Fuck my bar. Fuck all the staffing shit, the paperwork, the asshole customers...all I care about is you. The bar means nothing to me without you to enjoy it with. Yeah, I wanted it-but I wanted it for us. The world could be coming down around us, and as long as I'm with you...I couldn't give a shit."

Her eyes were shimmering with tears as she leaned forward and pressed her lips gently to mine. I felt whole. For the first time in I don't know how long, I felt like I was complete.

I grabbed her and held the innocent kiss for a few seconds longer. I pulled away and looked into her eyes.

"Baby, I love you so much. We can do this. Let me love you like you deserve."

"Alright," she smiled a huge, genuine smile. "Then lets give this a shot. Again."

The smile she gave me made my heart flutter. Yes, another shot. And this time-I wouldn't blow it.


	7. Chapter 7: Free At Last

Present Day - December 21, 2010

That first year had been a testament to the stubbornness of my Sookie. She managed to power through her issues and by July she had pretty much turned everything around and was working on regaining the weight she'd lost. She was down to weekly visits with Dr. Kaplan and he was astounded with her progress. Apparently, if everything was going well in her life, her control issues just seemed to disappear...as much as they ever did. I still wasn't allowed to help with the laundry.

I shuffled the paperwork on my desk and shoved a handful into a file folder. The door swung open and Preston stuck his head around the door jamb.

"You almost ready?"

"Yeah. I just finished up. I need to hurry if I'm gonna make it home in time," I checked my watch again as I stood. I nodded to Preston as I passed and handed the folder off to him.

"We'll see you later. Tell Sook we said hey. We should get Pam and Amelia together soon too," he smiled at me as he opened the door to his office and walked inside.

I shook my head as I walked by, noticing that he left the door open. He was always better with the "open door policy" than I was. It was amazing to me how friendly the two of us had become, considering how I despised him when we first met. I ran a hand through my hair as I dug my car keys out of my pocket and pushed open the back door to the bar.

_January 2, 2007_

_"Alright Miss Stackhouse, here are your discharge papers. Now remember, if you feel anything-"_

_The nurse droned on as Sookie mocked her behind her back. I stifled a chuckle as the nurse turned around and Sookie sat back innocently and shot the confused woman a mega-watt smile. When the nurse turned her back again, Sookie once again began mocking her. We'd heard these instructions from 3 different nurses, Dr. Ludwig AND Dr. Kaplan...suffice to say, we were well versed._

_"Lets just get you set up here," the nurse finally dragged the wheelchair over and bent to lift the foot rests, "and then you can get out of here!"_

_She was way too cheery for such a dreary place...although maybe that was why she was employed. Who knew?_

_"Do I HAVE to sit in that?" Sookie's nose scrunched adorably and I couldn't help but lean over and kiss it._  
_"Be a good girl, love. I'll have you out of here before you know it," I smiled as the nurse propped Sookie's feet up on the foot rests and began wheeling her out the door._

_I grabbed the two small bags we had and followed the two women._

_Sookie shifted and wiggled the entire way down to the lobby. My heart ached when I realized that it was because her bones were jutting out and grinding in uncomfortable ways. I sped up a bit and slipped my hand into hers. She gave my much larger hand a slight squeeze and glanced up at me._

_"I love you. I'm going to run and get the car. You wait at the doors," I pressed a kiss onto her hand and gently set it back on the arm of the wheelchair._

_"Where exactly do you think I'm going to go, darling? I swear its easier to break out of Alcatraz!" I rolled my eyes at her pout as I turned away and fished my keys out of my pocket._

_Jogging through the parking garage, I sighed internally. I was not looking forward to taking her back to Lafayette's house. I wanted her with me. But I understood why that wasn't such a great idea._

_Just because I understood, didn't mean I liked it though._

_I started the car and pulled it down to the hospital entrance where my girl was waiting not-so-patiently._

_"Free at last, free at last, thank GOD ALMIGHTY I'm free at last!" I had to cringe as Sookie belted the words out. Singing was definitely not one of her talents._

_The nurse helped her get situated in the passenger side and gave her a smile._

_"No offense, but I really hope I never see you again," the nurse laughed as Sookie adopted a sheepish grin._

_"That's quite alright honey. I hope we don't see you back here either. You both have a good day," the nurse turned and disappeared back into the bowels of the hospital, taking the wheelchair with her._

_"Alright, love. Lets get you home," she shot me a beaming smile as I shifted into drive._

_Valentines Day 2007_

_I rung the bell and fidgeted nervously as I waited for someone to come to the door._

_I put on a huge smile as I heard footsteps behind the door...only to have it drop when I saw that it was Preston and not my girl who answered the door._  
_"Oh. It's you," he sounded just as thrilled to see me as I was to see him._

_"Yes. It's me. Is Sookie ready?" I kept my voice as level and unemotional as possible. I knew it upset Sookie when we couldn't get along. I wasn't taking any chances tonight. My girl was going to be happy damn it!_

_"Let him in Pres! I heard you!" I snickered as Sookie's voice reached us from the depths of the apartment and Preston blanched._

_I leaned in close to his ear. "What do you know, you're in the doghouse AGAIN."_

_He yanked himself away from me and gave me a look of disgust before stomping back to wherever he'd come from._

_I smiled to myself as I loped into the living room and sat on the sofa to wait._

_I drifted into my own world, recalling the dates I'd taken Sookie on since she'd come home from the hospital. I made a point to actually take her out at least twice a week and she usually stayed at my place at least twice. The other three days we usually hung out here, much to Preston's chagrin and Lafayette's delight. I didn't quite realize how neglectful I'd been to everyone in my life and seeing the joy in Lafayette, Pam and Jason whenever I was around was like a metaphorical slap in the face. Now that Sookie had regained a fair amount of weight, she was taking me to task whenever she noticed the guilt. This new 'living in the now' motto of hers was something to behold, if you knew what she'd been through._

_My musings were interrupted as I heard heels coming down the hall. I took a deep breath and stood, slowly turning to see what lovely ensemble she was torturing me with tonight._

_A groan caught in my throat as I took her in. Her blood red dress fitted her curves perfectly and framed her tantalizing breasts to perfection. The short hemline skimmed the middle of her thighs, making her legs look a mile long in her glossy black heels. Her blonde mane was tousled and sexy, making me want to run my fingers through it._

_I gulped and cleared my throat. "You look...you-wow."_

_She let out a tinkling laugh. "Right back at ya, sexy."_

_I preened a bit as I adjusted my dark grey suit jacket. The black shirt underneath was the softest silk and I knew she'd love it._

_I heard a gagging noise from the next room._

_Sookie sighed and rolled her eye. "Preston..."_

_"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll shut up," he poked his head around the corner. "You do look lovely, Sook. If I liked women I'd so try to steal you."_

_I couldn't help the growl that escaped._

_She beamed and crossed the few steps between us so I could wrap her in my arms._

_"You could try, but I can tell you-you wouldn't succeed. I'm 100% taken," I smiled at her certainty._

_After a brief hug and a light kiss on her luscious lips, I pulled away and took her hand._

_"Come on, love. Time to get going," without a backward glance at the asstard, I led her out the front door._

_The entire ride, she questioned our destination. I had purposely left it as a surprise and she was frustrated beyond belief. She grew even more confused as we headed toward the outskirts of town and away from all the Valentines festivities._

_"Eric, are you taking me out to the woods to kill me or something? Cause-uh-that's not the most romantic of Valentines dates, ya know?"_

_I chuckled and winked at her. "We're almost there. Don't get your panties in a twist."_

_"Well, even if I was wearing some they wouldn't be twisted," I blanched at that morsel of information._

_"You're killing me," I groaned as I turned onto a small side road off the highway._

_She palmed the growing bulge in my pants and smirked. "Likewise."_

_I pulled the car to a stop and took a few calming breaths. Ever since she was in the hospital, I'd been making really good friends with my hand. I was determined not to push for anything sexual and so far I'd been doing well. Although my resolve was being tested more and more as time went on. The sleepovers I could handle, the snuggling I could handle, the heavy make out sessions I could handle...her grabbing my dick and telling me she was going commando might be stretching my limits._

_She sat primly in her seat while she waited, humming a soft tune. "Sorry. You're not the only one who's gone without."_

_I shook my head to clear it as I opened the door and stepped out into the balmy evening air._

_I walked around the car and pulled open Sookie's door and gently lifted her out. Her head swung from side to side in confusion._

_"Eric? Did you really bring me to the middle of nowhere?"_

_"No," I leaned into her and gave her a short kiss on the forehead. "We just have to walk from here."_

_She gave me an incredulous look. "Seriously? You want me to walk in the grass and mud and dirt with THESE heels on?"_

_"Of course not," I grinned roguishly as I bent and swept her legs out from under her, catching her in my arms._

_Her boisterous laugh echoed through the field and bounced back at us from the trees._

_"You're something else, Mr. Northman," she laid her head on my shoulder as I loped along with her in my arms._

_We'd been walking for about 6 or 7 minutes before I slowed. "Alright, love. I need you to shut your eyes."_

_She obliged grudgingly and I started forward. I made a mental note to thank Pam and Jason for helping me set up the last minute details. I approached ground zero for tonight's entertainment and set Sookie gently on her feet._

_"Can I open my eyes yet?"_

_"No. Give me just a minute," I watched her fidget as I darted around, finishing off the surprise._

_I returned to her side and pulled her to me, tilting her face up to mine. The kiss I laid on her wasn't gentle or reluctant. It was passionate and filled with love...I tried to convey everything I felt for her in that kiss. And judging by her harsh and labored breathing when I finally pulled away, she got the message._

_"Okay, love," I rested my forehead against hers, "open."_

_Her gorgeous eyes fluttered open and stared into mine for a moment before she noticed her surroundings. Her head whipped to the side, stinging me with the ends of her hair._

_"Oh Eric," it was more of a sigh than anything and I smiled internally at having made her happy. "It's perfect."_

_The candle flickered gently in the minute breeze and she slipped her heels off as she stepped onto the blanket spread on the ground. She bent over to marvel at the huge stump holding what even I would consider a large amount of food._

_"Where did you even get a stump this big?" Her voice held a note of awe that made me feel like a schoolboy._

_"Jason. The road crew was removing the trees along route 9 the other day and when I went to see him, I saw it. I knew it'd be perfect. Now, come here," I pulled her to me and then gently pulled her to sit on the patchwork blanket._

_She sat sedately as I retrieved a platter off the stump and sank to my knees next to her. I casually spread myself out on my side and plucked a morsel of food off the tray. Holding it right in front of her lips, I nodded for her to eat._

_She shot me a saucy grin before she wrapped her lips erotically around my fingers as she took the food into her mouth. At this point, I couldn't even tell you what I'd just fed her. But when she moaned her approval, I tackled her onto her back and smashed my lips to hers. I felt her smile and I moved my lips to trail down her neck, licking and kissing, taking in her sweet unique flavor._

_"Wait, Eric-"_

_It was like a bucket of cold water being thrown over me. I shot away from her and covered my face in my hands._

_"Oh god! Sookie, I'm sorry! I'm not trying to pres-" my apologies were cut off when she crawled into my lap and put a finger to my lips._

_"I know that you've been trying to take it slow and not rush me. And I appreciate it. But I'm fine," I shook my head and she huffed. She grabbed my chin and forced my eyes up to hers. "I. Am. Fine. I've regained almost all the weight I've lost, I'm eating just fine and we are doing great. Stop beating yourself up. Yes, shit happened. But Jesus Christ Eric! Get over it!"_

_"Sookie, you could have died!"_

_She cut me off, "But I didn't! And all you're doing now is torturing us both. So, please...for the love of god-please...just, please make love to me. Please?"_

_Her voice had trailed off and she sounded so forlorn. I sighed at my stupidity._

_"I'm so sorry baby," I pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair as she laid her head on my shoulder. "I was just trying to take things slow."_

_"I get it. And like I said, I appreciate it." she started kissing my jaw and down my neck. "But it's time to move on baby. Okay?"_

_I didn't get a chance to respond before she began shifting and rolling her hips as she straddled my lap. My cock rebelled against my brain and began straining to be free. I moaned and her tongue took advantage of the opening to slip into my mouth_

_I fought internally for a moment or two longer before my heart took over. She was right. I needed to stop living in the past and just...move on. So I grabbed her, almost violently, and smashed her lips to mine, grinding against her center all the while._

_She let out a primitive moan and began writhing on top of me. She was still thinner than I liked her, but she at least looked healthy, in a lean Hollywood way. Her tits, however, were still glorious. I licked my lips as my eyes darted down to them. Then I dove right in._

_Her nipple was hard and pebbled underneath the silky dress. I fastened my mouth over the fabric, making her moan and squirm. Her hips pitched forward and ground tantalizingly against my cock._

_I slid my hands down to her thighs and they snuck under her hemline. Her hands clenched on top of mine and I backed off immediately. She rolled her eyes and tugged my hands higher up her thighs and fastened her lips onto mine once more._

_We kissed lazily for a few minutes while I rubbed small circles on her upper thighs before I made my next move. I broke away from our kiss and trailed my lips down to her neck. I scraped my teeth over her pulse point, and her head fell backward as she panted._

_As I licked and nibbled and sucked my way down to her magnificent cleavage, I inched my fingertips further and further toward my own promised land. My eyes rolled back in my head when I felt the bare skin on the side of her hips where her panties should have been. That minx. My hands roamed further and her dress inched higher and higher around her waist, exposing more and more of her perfect creamy skin._

_My fingers slid around to her lower stomach and trailed teasing touches making her giggle into my mouth. She pulled away and licked my lips before attacking my neck. She attached her lips to the spot just to the right of my Adam's apple that drove me wild and I bucked underneath her. I gave up my teasing and my fingers slid through her folds. I groaned at the moisture I found there, knowing she was just as aroused as I was._

_Without preamble, I drove two fingers up into her and she made a choked noise._

_"Eric! Fuck!"_

_I drove my fingers deeper and deeper while my thumb circled her clit. Her head fell backwards, her hair trailing down her back and whispering across my lap._

_Her hands loosened their hold on my shoulders to explore other parts of my body. It felt so good to have her silky hands caress my hard body and I shuddered in delight._

_"Mmmmm, God I missed you lover."_

_One of her hands began yanking at my belt while the other tried tearing through my dress shirt. Neither had much success and Sookie's growls of frustration just served to make me pump into her harder._

_She mewled against my neck as I withdrew my fingers and sucked one into my mouth._

_I groaned in appreciation. She tasted so much better than I remember. Her eyes were hooded as she scooted off my legs so I could stand._

_My fingers fought with the black pearl buttons on my shirt and then with the buckle on my belt. I didn't have the patience for the button and zipper on my pants, so with a swift yank, they broke apart. I toed off my shoes and yanked off my socks as I stepped out of my pants._

_Sookie licked her lips as I stood in front of her in all my glory. I swear I think she might have been drooling. Her eyes shined as she crooked her finger at me and I dropped to my knees in front of her. I leaned forward and wound my fingers through her hair as I crashed my lips onto hers._

_She broke the kiss to gasp for breath. She cradled my chin in her tiny hands before I noticed a wicked smirk on her lips. She caught me off guard as she placed her hands gently on my chest and shoved. Hard._

_I fell backwards, my legs flailing in the air. I'm quite certain I looked ridiculous. However, she pounced on me like a rabid lion. She palmed my aching cock as she fastened her lips onto my own. Her dress, which was regretfully still on, was caught under her ass, denying me the pleasure of grinding against her bare skin._

_Her lips trailed farther down my body as her hand worked me faster and harder. She paused at my chest and gave each nipple a few nibbles, making my eyes roll back in my head. God, I forgot how good she was at working me up._

_Her tiny fingers spread around the moisture leaking from my shaft as she licked her way down my stomach and bit gently on my hipbone. I twitched in her grasp, making her giggle._

_"Sookie. Please, you're going to-"_

_The strangled noise that left my throat as she dove onto my cock startled me, and seemed to spur Sookie on even more. My chest heaved as I fought to catch my breath. Sookie's eyes shot up to mine as she moved one hand to my hip to make me stay down._

_Her wrist twisted and twitched as she took me further and further into her luscious mouth, moving her tongue around the tip and then swirling it around my shaft like a lollipop. She began to hum and my breathing hitched again._

_"Sookie...oh god baby-Sook-baby I'm gonna cum," my head fell backwards against the blanket underneath me._

_She redoubled her efforts and swallowed my cock into the back of her throat. I was done. I spurted shot after shot of cum into her waiting mouth and she gulped down every drop. Her hand continued to work me over gently as she smiled and sat up, licking away a stray bit of moisture._

_"Are you still going to try to take it slow?"_

_I tried to answer her, I truly did. But I think she turned my brain to mush._

_She got a grunt in reply._

_"Did I break you?" She laughed as she crawled up my body and sat astride my hips._

_I brought my knees up behind her to prop her up and she lifted her dress out from under her. Her pussy was soaked and she ground down against me, willing my cock to get hard again. He seemed to have a mind of his own, since he responded to her like Pavlov's dog hearing a bell. Her dress pooled around her hips and flowed over mine, obscuring the magic happening between us._

_"Sookie, take off your dress," she gave me a withering look, "please."_

_She smiled brightly and reached behind her neck and pulled at one of the ties, allowing the garment to fall, revealing her bountiful breasts. Even at this much smaller size, her girls were still bigger than most women's._

_I raised myself up and nuzzled into the depths of her cleavage and she giggled lightly as the scruff on my chin tickled her._

_"Hold up buddy," she pushed me gently and I collapsed backward as she pulled the dress over her head, revealing her supple tan skin to me._

_"Oh lover," my hands ghosted down her sides. "You are so gorgeous."_

_I couldn't bring myself to raise my voice above a whisper. She blushed lightly in the moonlight and began rocking ever so slightly on my cock again._

_I grunted as she sped up her movements, spreading her wetness all over my lap._

_She paused a moment and lifted up slightly before reaching back to grab my cock. She lined me up and sank backwards slowly. The feeling-so tight, so hot, so wet..I had to fight my urge to cum right then. She seemed to instinctively know that I needed a moment, or maybe she just needed to adjust._

_After all, it had been almost a year for both of us. Slowly, she began rising up onto her knees and lowering herself back down. As she picked up speed, my hands found her hips, helping her move over me fluidly. Her fingers went to her tits and began plucking her nipples._

_I gritted my teeth as my thumb began circling her clit with tight, fast motions. Her breathing sped up and her head fell back, tickling my thighs with the ends of her hair._

_Her pussy fluttered and spasmed and I rubbed faster, trying to get her over that magical golden edge before I lost what minuscule amount of composure I had left._

_"Fuck! Eric!"_

_Her eyes shot open, her pussy clenched tightly around me and she bit her lip lightly, panting through her teeth._

_"Sook-fuck, Sookie...ah god FUCK!"_

_I bucked once, twice, three more times before shooting my seed inside her._

_She planted her hands on my pecs and leaned forward, bracing her arms against my chest as she laid down in a glorious sweaty heap on top of me. I was officially in heaven._

_"I missed that," I barked out a laugh at her declaration, making my cock twitch and both of us moan._

_"Is it safe to say that we're 'back in the saddle' then?"_

_"Sure is, cowboy. Good thing Ludwig put me on Depo since we conveniently forgot condoms. Ya know on that slim chance that I could actually...you know," her voice grew melancholy and I knew she was remembering the phone call she'd received last week from her endocrinologist._

_He'd told her that her hormones levels were still screwed up and it would probably have a permanent effect on her fertility._

_"Sookie, there are other ways to have kids. You know that. Whatever we have to do when the time comes, we'll do it. Now, cheer up. Besides, they said slim chance, not no chance. We need to get in all the practice that we can!"_

_She let out a huge guffawing laugh as I wiggled my eyebrows and bucked my hips up into her._

_"Kinda loses the effect if you're cock refuses to get hard, darlin'."_

_"Oh, so that's how you're gonna play it, huh? You tease! Come here!"_

_She jumped out of my reach and I shot up to chase her. The food was forgotten, the blanket was mussed and our clothes were lost amongst the knee high grass._

_But frolicking in a meadow had never been quite so fun before now._


	8. Chapter 8: Minx

Present day - December 2010

I pulled up to a red light and yanked my vibrating phone out of my pocket, quickly glancing at the caller ID.

"Hey dad! What's going on?"

"Are you home yet or did you leave the bar late?" His chiding voice had the sound of a smile in it.

"Preston called you, didn't he?" I sighed. The light changed to green, I released the brake and began driving again.

"No, I called the bar looking for you. I need you to stop over on your way home."

"Alright, let me turn around and I'll be there in a few," I pressed end as I searched for somewhere to turn around. At least I hadn't gotten far enough to where it'd be inconvenient to head back.

Dad greeted me with a wave as I pulled into the driveway.

"Your mother put together a bunch of frozen dinners for you guys. She called to tell me that they should be ready to take over now," he clapped a hand on my shoulder.

"And mom couldn't bring them?"

Dad gave a chuckle. "She's been over there since this morning. She's convinced Sookie is working herself too hard."

I shook my head. "Shit. That's probably my fault."

My dad threw his head back and let out a great guffaw. "Ah, but it's our job to protect our women, no?"

His hokey Italian accent just sent me over the edge and by the time we got inside I had tears running down my cheeks.

_June 2007_

_"Please tell me this is the last one!" Preston huffed as he dropped the box in his hands._

_I laughed at his pansy ass._

_"I dunno, ask Sook. She and Laf are 'fixing' the kitchen," I smirked._

_Preston shuddered. "I'm surprised she even lets you in there. When I moved in with Laf he warned me to never mess with anything in his kitchen. He made very graphic references to his big ass knives and my balls."_

_I let out a full on laugh. I could so totally see Lafayette saying something like that._

_"Nah, Sookie isn't quite that bad. I have been told to move the appliances at my own risk, but she lets me get in there occasionally. She even lets me cook sometimes," he quirked his eyebrow at me._

_"Wow. She really does love you."_

_I sighed and smiled. He chuckled as he noted the goofy expression on my face._

_"Dude. Can I be honest with you?"_

_I nodded, suddenly wary about whatever he planned to say._

_He leaned heavily on the dresser and leveled his gaze at me. "I was not at all sure about you when I met you. I knew Sookie and I loved her...so in my opinion anyone that would hurt her had to be scum," I flinched. "But-then I saw you two together. And I see how utterly devoted you are to her. And I know that you're the absolute best thing for her."_

_He took a deep breath and peeked out the door, then turned back to me._

_"I know you guys had been talking about moving back in together for a couple months, but did she tell you why she finally said yes?"_

_My eyebrows knitted together as I shook my head._

_"I pushed her to it. You guys were already spending most of your nights together. And honestly...she is so much happier when you're around. I just-I wanted her to be as happy as I am with Laf. And you do that for her. So I figured the best place for her...is with you."_

_At the risk of sounding like a complete pussy, I gotta admit that I misted up a little._

_"That's...thanks man. I appreciate it. I love her more than anything."_

_He nodded and smiled before he sauntered out to find his other half. A moment later his head appeared again._

_"But, for the record-hurt her and I'll hurt you. Just a disclaimer."_

_His laugh followed him down the hall as he retreated once more._

_I sat heavily on the bed for a moment, contemplating this rather weird revelation. Maybe Preston wasn't so bad after all. Huh._

_There was a knock on the front door and I hauled myself up to answer it. I met Sookie bouncing her way down the front hallway and grabbed her around the waist before she could get away. She giggled as I slung her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes and continued on my way to find out who else had decided to grace us with their presence. It seemed as if our house had a revolving door today, what with all the people coming and going._

_I opened the door and squinted into the sunlight._

_"Mom! Dad! Hey!"_

_I pulled Mom in for a hug and she gave Sookie's ass a playful smack._

_"What'd you do this time girlie?"_

_My father chuckled as he swung her off my shoulder and enveloped her in a huge bear hug._

_"He just felt like copping a feel. Nothing new," I blushed slightly, like I did every single time Sookie brought up our sex life in front of my parents._

_Dad smiled and punched me lightly on the shoulder. "Good man!"_

_We all laughed as we retreated from the front hallway. Lafayette and Preston had moved into the living room and we joined them, moving to sit on various peices of furniture._

_I pulled Sookie down onto my lap and she snuggled into me. My mother squealed softly under her breath and shot my dad a goofy love struck look. Lafayette aww'ed over their display and Preston shook his head, laughing lightly._

_"So, what brings you out today Soph? Not really much going on is there?" Sookie's eyes gleamed as she teased my mom._

_"Ah hah you little shit. Just laugh it up. Then you won't get the present Godric and I brought over," the smug smile on my moms face made me stifle my laugh before Sookie could whip around and smack me._

_She pouted adorably and gave my mom her puppy eyes. "I'm sorry Soph. We love having you over and you're welcome anytime...well-maybe not ANYTIME, but you know."_

_Dad let out a cackle and leaned forward in his chair. When his fit of laughter subsided, he clasped his hands together and regarded us closely._

_"Hey, Laf? Do you think you and Preston could run out and possibly get us some fixins for a nice steak dinner?"_

_Subtle dad. Real subtle._

_"Sure thang Godric. Who we cookin for?"_

_To could see the internal struggle as my dad did some math in his head before he answered. "8, but buy for 12. You know the appetites around here."_

_Preston smirked and tugged Lafayette down the hallways, snagging Dad's card from his outstretched hand as he passed. "Bags still in your car Sook?"_

_"Sure are darlin! Don't you lose any more of them! I loved that Whole Foods one you lost last time!"_

_The chuckle that drifted back to us was definitely Lafayette's and I knew Preston was probably running with his tail between his legs. Sookie'd really reamed him out over that one._

_Once the door slammed, I pressed a kiss to Sookie's forehead before turning to my parents._

_"Alright guys. What's up?"_

_I felt Sookie tense as they both adopted grim expressions._

_"Sophie? Godric? What's wrong?" Sookie asked, sounding panicked. I just glanced between my parents and tightened my hold on her._

_She began trembling and I knew her lip would be jutting out as she tried to hold back tears._

_"Oh, no! Honey, nothing's wrong! Oh, come here," my mom opened her arms and Sookie scooted over to her and snuggled into her side. I wanted her back in my lap immediately._

_"Shit, that's not the reaction we wanted," Dad ran a hand through his short brown hair. "We just had a surprise for you two."_

_I rolled my eyes at their method of presentation before I reached over to claim Sookie once more. She snuggled into my chest and peeked out at my parents._

_"Well, since this is a new beginning for you both we decided that you need a clean slate to start out with. I don't want to hear any arguments about this either, hear me girlie?" My fathers finger waved in Sookie's face and she narrowed her eyes. I just chuckled as the scene played out._

_"Don't give me something to argue about Godric. Then we'll be dandy."_

_Ah, there's my little firecracker!_

_He shot her a stern look. "You've always said that the one thing this place was missing was a pool, right?"_

_We both nodded slowly, failing to see where this was going._

_My parents waited a minute while we sat staring at them blankly._

_"Do you really not get it?" My mom snorted. "Two college educated, highly intelligent small business owners...and you can't see where were going with this?"_

_Dad let out a boisterous laugh. "We're putting in a pool for you!"_

_Sookie began shaking her head as a grin broke out on my face._

_"Guys! That's way too much!" I pulled her to my side and clamped a hand over her mouth._

_"Are we going to live here for a good long while, love?" She nodded silently. "Then what's the problem? It will add value and if you really have to have things your way, then IF we decide to sell, we can pay them back with the return on it. Fair?"_

_I caught my dad shaking his head out of the corner of my eye. Mom nudged him gently and his eyes sparked with recognition._

_Sookie glared at me skeptically._

_"Fine. I can see I'll be outnumbered," she flopped back onto my chest, pulling my arms around her middle._

_"Well, since you're being so cooperative, I may as well get the rest if the surprise out of the way," Dad's voice broke through her pout._

_"THE REST?!"_

_"While the work is being done, you two will be reconnecting. Away from here. Got me? We've already got the tickets and the hotel booked. And we've arranged coverage at the restaurant and the bar," my mom's smug smile when she finished speaking was enough for me to be struck silent._

_Sookie however, didn't seem to have that problem._

_"Guys! This is just-waaaaay, way way too-shit! GUYS!"_

_We collapsed into laughter as she stood with her hands on her hips and her angry kitten face on. I laughed even harder when she stomped her foot like a toddler._

_"Oh, love, it's not worth the anxiety! Just let them do it and say thank you," I kissed her nose as I pulled her down onto me._

_"But-"_

_"No." I put my finger to her lips gently. "I'm only moving it if you're going to say thank you and let it go."_

_She huffed for a few moments before rolling her eyes and relenting._

_"Thank you both. It's really kind. And-generous...and..." The tears started streaming before I could react and my dad jumped up to give her a huge hug again._

_"Oh please don't cry little girl, it makes my knees hurt," Sookie chuckled into my dad's chest as she sniffled and wiped away the few remaining tears. He led her gently into the kitchen away from mom and me._

_"I'm so glad everything's working out for you two. It's so obvious how in love you are," mom sighed as she dropped onto the couch next to me._

_"Thanks Mom," I curled my arm around her shoulders and pressed a light kiss to the top of her head._

_"Hey hookahs! We's back!" Lafayette's shrill voice echoed around the hallway, pulling the four of us out of our respective positions._

_"Yay! Food!"_

_My parents eyes got wide and their faces broke out into huge smiles. That's right, they hadn't seen Sookie eat since this whole fiasco._

_They were in for a huge surprise themselves._

_The Next Day_

_"Geez, they weren't kidding, were they? They could have at least told us the flight was at ridiculous fucking o'clock this morning!"_

_Sookie was still grumpy before she'd had her coffee._

_"Cheer up, lover. We'll get you coffee as soon as we're through security," I smirked at her put upon sigh and wheeled our suitcase onto the monorail that would take us to the terminal. I wrapped my arms around my girl and couldn't stop smiling._

_Twenty minutes, two pat downs and forty million questions later, we made it through the security line and into the terminal where our plane would be departing from.  
"Geez, you'd think the prescription bottle would have clued them in that my meds were legit, but noooooooooo..."_

_I let Sookie rattle on and on about the incompetence of airport personnel while I ordered the largest black coffee the small cafe had available. The girl behind the counter was wide eyed as she took in my extremely pissed off girlfriend beside me._

_"Any way I could get that with extra caffeine?"_

_Yeah, that girl wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. She just stared, wide eyed and confused._

_Nevertheless, the coffee she handed me was perfect and I shoved it at Sookie. The second the steaming liquid touched her lips, I actually saw her shoulders drop and her whole demeanor changed. I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture._

_"Hey! What was that for?"_

_The stern voice she tried to assume was ruined when she let out a tinkling giggle as she glanced over my shoulder at the screen._

_"Posterity. It IS possible for you to enjoy this trip. I just needed a reminder," I barked out a laugh as she tried to swat at me without spilling her precious libation._

_I led her to the departing gate and sat in one of the hard plastic chairs before pulling her onto my lap. Her ass was finally filled out enough that I wasn't being stabbed with her butt bone. Ahhh, the glory of a truly perfect ass._

_I sighed in contentment._

_"What's gotten into you?" She leaned against my chest and rested her head on my shoulder._

_"I'm just-I'm just so fucking happy," my arms wound around her waist and tugged her closer._

_She smiled brilliantly._

_"6 months ago I thought my life was over. And now...now I'm happier than I ever thought I could be. I'm so glad that you gave me another chance. And I'm so, SO happy that you're back to being you. Cause-ya know-I kinda love you and all," I turned her head to me and kissed her._

_Without a thought for the people around us, I flicked my tongue against her lips, begging for entrance. When she slipped her tongue past my lips, I massaged it with my own and her answering moan had my cock hardening almost instantly._

_"Yo dude! Get a room, man!"_

_And just like that the moment was over and we were both giggling into each others shoulders._

_The Next Day_

_"This is glorious," Sookie's eyes were closed and I took in her blissful expression._

_I sighed as I laid my head back down on the towel underneath me. She was right...glorious would definitely be an apt descriptor. The warm sun, the white sand, together away from our stress at home-perfect. Sookie looked radiant in the sun and I smiled to myself._

_I must have dozed off because I woke to the feeling of hair trailing over my knees._

_"Sook-" I groaned as I felt her fingernails trail up my thighs under my board shorts. Then I felt her nipple graze my calf. Wait-_

_I jolted upright, throwing her off of me in the process. "Sookie! You're naked!"_

_I scrambled to grab a towel to cover her and she collapsed in a fit of giggles. The look of confusion must have made her feel for me because she crawled back up to me._

_"Oh my love," she shook her head as she crawled up my body before settling her luscious body on my lap. "You don't listen to anything do you? Each villa has its own private beach. There's no one out here..."_

_As my brain caught up with what she had said, she was working her magic. My cock had hardened and was straining against my swim trunks, threatening the integrity of the ties holding them together._

_My hands circled her waist loosely as her kisses trailed up my chest and her fingers worked the opening of my trunks. Then my libido kicked into gear. I looped my leg over hers and flipped us quickly, landing on top of her with a soft huff._

_"Oh really, love? There's no one?"_

_Her eyes sparkled as she slowly shook her head. I tugged her hands above her head and pinned her to the sandy beach._

_"No one at all. Not for miles..." She trailed off into a groan as my lips attacked her neck my teeth scraping over her pulse point._

_"Don't. Move." My voice was husky and lust filled._

_Her lip caught between her teeth as her eyes widened in arousal. I smirked as I trailed my lips down the column of her neck, over her collarbone and down to her bare breasts. Her rosy nipples stood at attention in the balmy breeze and my eyes flicked up to hers as my tongue darted out to taste one. A breath kissed through her parted lips._

_I rolled her other nipple with my fingers as I latched onto the other. Her body writhed and bucked, trying to get more friction where she desperately needed it, but my heavier body pinned hers. Her arms fought my grip on them, but I held her steady as I sampled the flavor of her skin._

_When I'd gotten my fill of both of her breasts, I began trailing my kisses down her flat stomach. She sucked in another breath and I glanced up to see her eyes closed. She had an expression on her face that bordered on pain._

_"What do you want, Sookie?"_

_Her labored breathing continued as her eyes shot open and sought me out._

_"I-I want...I want you," the throaty moan that escaped made my cock ache._

_"You have me, love. I'm right here. That's all you want?"_

_Her frustrated growl made me smile as I laid serenely over her body, not moving except to breathe,_

_"No! Eric, I need you," her brow furrowed as she tried to get out of saying what I wanted her to._

_"You need me? You need me to what? Kiss you?"_

_I laid kisses along her lowed stomach, blowing slight raspberries and making her giggle._

_"You need me to touch you?"_

_I slowly let go of her wrists and she obediently kept them above her head. I let my fingers linger as they slid softly down her arms. I stroked lightly over the crease of her elbow, down to her shoulder, across her chest, circling each nipple and down to her belly button. I trailed my finger down her hip, bypassing where she really wanted me. I continued stroking lightly down her thighs and to the backs of her knees before finishing at her ankles and feet. She let out a tinkling giggle as I ran my fingertips down the soles of her feet._

_"You need me to lick you?" I said against her skin. I felt her shiver. God I love how her body reacts to me._

_Her legs spread involuntarily as I licked and nipped my way back up her legs, starting at her feet once more. The taste of her skin, even with the occasional grain of sand, was heavenly. She tasted of spun sugar, sunlight and coconut oil-it was distinctly her. I felt like a starving man and I didn't think I'd ever get enough.  
She gasped in another breath as I made it to her inner thigh. However I skipped her pussy yet again and drew my tongue in abstract patterns around her hips and lower stomach._

_"Eric! I need you to fuck me!"_

_Her high pitched wail spurred me on and I immediately thrust 2 fingers into her. She squealed as I pumped vigorously._

_"This? Is this what you need Sookie?"_

_I raised my body over hers and smoldered down at her. Her head whipped from side to side._

_"This?" I pumped in and out slowly. "You want my fingers fucking your pussy? That?! Is that what you want?!"_

_I crooked my fingers inside her as I thrust and my thumb found her clit, hard and throbbing._

_She screamed out her release as I kept pumping. Her hips bucked up to meet my hand and I smashed my lips onto hers, our tongues fighting for dominance._

_I drew away slowly as I felt her trembling. My fingers pumped lazily before I finally withdrew them, bringing them slowly up to my mouth._

_Her eyes darkened with desire as I placed one on my tongue and swirled it around, licking her essence off. I groaned as her hand shot out to grab mine, drawing my other finger into her own mouth. Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief as her tongue swirled and sucked on my finger like she was sucking my cock._

_Her other hand trailed slowly down my chest, tweaking my nipple on the way, until she reached the tie of my trunks, pulling at the laces gently._

_She placed her hand on my chest, pushing me back as she sat up. Then she tugged my trunks over my ass, making a frustrated whimper when they caught on my thighs. I raised myself to my knees and let her pull them down as far as she could before raising up and kicking them off myself._

_She flopped back onto the towel, wiggling to straighten it out underneath her._

_"That was wonderful, love. But not quite what I had in mind."_

_I leaned over her, gazing into the azure depths of her eyes._

_I lowered my lips, lightly skimming her ear in the process as I whispered, "What did you have in mind then, lover?"_

_She shuddered underneath me and I felt her hand wrap itself around my cock and squeeze slightly. My eyes bulged and I'm sure I made a choked noise as she smiled brilliantly._

_"I want your cock. I want your cock fucking my pussy so hard that I can't walk straight. I want you to pound me so hard that I'm screaming," her hand continued to work me as my eyes rolled back in my head. "I want you to come inside me, fill up my hot-tight-wet pussy with everything you've got to give me. And then..." She leaned up to my ear. "I want to suck your cock down my throat to get you hard again so you can fuck me over and over until we're both completely and utterly spent."_

_I was panting when she'd finished. I ground my aching erection into her, nudging her hand out of the way._

_"Think you can do that sailor?"_

_I smirked and tugged her violently upwards. She squealed as I threw her onto her stomach and lifted her ass roughly into the air._

_"You think you're in charge here, don't you?"_

_She wiggled her ass at me and I smacked her tanned skin. A red hand print appeared on her lower cheek and she arched her back._

_"I'll fuck you when I think you're good and ready. Hear me, Sookie?"_

_"Oh fuck! Yes!"_

_I had a tight grip on her hips as I rained blows down onto her ass, making it glow red in the late afternoon sunshine. She lunged backward into me, trying to get the friction she so desperately needed to cum. Without warning, I lined my cock up with her aching pussy and plunged all the way in. I was buried to the hilt in her luscious wetness, right where I wanted to be._

_She yelped and I felt her muscles flutter and squeeze me tight as her orgasm ripped through her. I didn't pause, didn't give her a chance to recover-I started pounding._

_"Fuck! Sookie, you're so fucking tight! So fucking wet! You want this cock? Huh? You want my thick, hard cock? Who's pussy is this?"_

_She whimpered and whined as another orgasm built rapidly. But I wasn't satisfied. I wanted an answer._

_"Whose fucking cunt is this, Sookie?! Tell me!" I began laying into her ass, red palm prints standing out lividly as she cried out in delight._

_"Oh FUCK! Eric! All yours...fuck-pussy's all-yours! FUCK!"_

_Her cunt clenched around me once again and she collapsed forward, turning her head to the side. Her back arched tantalizingly and her pussy became unbearably tight with the new angle._

_Sweat dropped into my eyes and I reached to wipe it away._

_"Fuck! Sookie, you feel so good. You're mine! Fuck-all fucking mine. Fuck...ahhhh...fuck...FUCK!_

_Another hard thrust and I lost the battle with myself. I erupted into her, filling her womb with my cum, moaning in delight as my balls emptied themselves in her._

_"Oh fuuuuuuuuuuck..." She moaned quietly and I felt another shiver of pleasure run through her. I laid myself over her back and pressed a kiss onto her shoulder blade._

_She wiggled slightly and I leaned up, only to flop over onto my side. I reached up and pulled her into my chest, keeping my arm around her tightly. I brushed some hair out of her face and cupped her cheek before gently laying a kiss onto her swollen lips._

_"So, that what you had in mind, love?"_

_My breaths came out in pants to match hers and she chuckled._

_"That was a nice try, but I think you can do better." She winked. She fucking winked!_

_That minx._


	9. Chapter 9: Good News and Bad News

Present Day - December 2010

The precariously balanced aluminum casserole dishes made me wary. I just knew i was going to trip and they'd all go tumbling. I picked my way carefully to the car and waited for Dad to open the trunk for me. He took a few from the top of the stack and set them inside.

"So," I said as I set the rest down, "Does mom think I don't make enough to feed us or something?"

"Oh son, you know she just wants to make sure y'all are taken care of. This is her way of trying not to be too pushy," his raised eyebrow made me smile.

I raised mine in return. "THIS-" I motioned to the 15 casserole dishes in my trunk "isn't pushy?"

He guffawed loudly and I joined him, closing the trunk on our months worth of meals.

"Are you stopping by to hang with mom later? You know Pam would love to see you," I plucked my keys from my pocket as I walked to the drivers side door.

"Yeah, I'm just finishing something up in the studio. Then I'll be over and I'm staying all night," his eyes turned shifty and I knew something was up.

Oh well. I guess we all had our secrets sometimes.

"Alrighty then. Well see you when we get back," I gave him a wave as he turned to walk back in the house. Then I started the car, anxious to get home to Sookie.

_Mid-July 2007_

_"She didn't say what it was? Just that I should be there?"_

_I glanced over at Sookie. Once again her lip was pulled between her teeth and her eyes cut up to meet mine._

_"Yeah. You don't think it's something serious, do you?" Her brow knitted together and I knew she was holding back tears._

_I took her hand gently and pulled it up to place a kiss on it._

_"No love. You said she sounded happy. Well-as happy as Ludwig can sound anyways," she chuckled at my feeble attempt at humor._

_Oh well, at least she thinks I'm funny._

_"Okay, here we are," she sucked in a shaky breath. "Lets go."_

_She pushed the door open and approached the receptionist as I took a seat. Why didn't Ludwig campaign to have these kinds of chairs in the hospital? I think my backs still fucked up from staying the hospital with Sookie for so long._

_"Babe. Yo, Eric!" I snapped out of my musings to see her, wide eyed and holding her hand out to me. "They said we can go back."_

_I stood and clasped her hand in mine as we followed the nurse. She showed us not into an exam room, but into a plush office. Now my nerves spiked a bit._

_Dr. Ludwig sat behind her desk and beamed at us. She motioned for Sookie and I to sit in the chairs in front of the desk and then nodded to the nurse, who shut the door as she left._

_"So, I've asked you both to come in today because I have the results from all of Sookie's tests. I've also asked Dr. Kaplan to be here as well-" Sookie's sharp intake of breath as her head whipped around to stare behind us cut her off._

_"Why?! Why would Doc need to be here? What's wrong with me?" Her lip quivered as she fought to catch her breath. Dr. Kaplan darted forward but I waved him off._

_"Sookie, love-" I pulled her into my lap and turned her head to mine, forcing her to look in my eyes. "Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. "_

_I breathed deeply with her, watching the tension leave her. Now if only I could make my own heart stop racing at the possibility that something could be wrong with her._

_"Oh dear. This isn't what I wanted. There's nothing wrong with you!"_

_Our heads whipped up to stare at Dr. Ludwig as she rolled her eyes. "Has she been overreacting like this to things lately?"_

_I could have smacked that tiny little doctor as she chuckled._

_Sookie huffed on my lap. "I've had a hard year. Sorry."_

_I tried to stifle a grin as she turned her head into my shoulder and pouted. I kissed her hair and continued to rub circles on her back._

_Dr. Kaplan didn't quite succeed in stifling his laugh and I felt Sookie glaring at him over my shoulder._

_"Oh for fucks sake!" Dr, Ludwig barked. "She's overreacting cause she's hormonal. Congratulation you two, she's pregnant!"_

_I froze. Sookie froze. The doctors beamed at us._

_I was still stuck on the word pregnant._

_Sookie thawed before me and she turned slowly to stare at the tiny doctor._

_"Ex-um...excuse me?"_

_"Pregnant. With child. Knocked up. In the family way. Bun in the oven. Prego. Preggers. How many ways do I have to spell it out?" The smile she was shooting our way was in stark contrast to her tone._

_"But- uh...what?"_

_My brilliant mouth had decided to open and Dr. Kaplan scoffed at my attempt to say something intelligent. I couldn't find the words to match the array of feelings shooting through me. Sookie and I created a life...I was still stuck on how amazing that fact was._

_"I don't know how-well I know HOW...but her hormones levels are apparently fine now. Last time we checked they weren't. That's when her endocrinologist called. But...something must have changed. Because, hey! You're pregnant!" Dr. Ludwig explain like we hadn't been told that this was a near impossibility._

_We sat there in shock for a few minutes. Dr. Ludwig and Dr. Kaplan just muttered quietly amongst themselves while we thought this through. The hope and excitement began building as I held my whole life in my arms._

_"No."_

_Both doctors turned to look at us. I looked up to Sookie in confusion. Unknowingly I held my breath._

_"What?" It sounded like we'd planned to say it simultaneously._

_Sookie glared at Dr. Ludwig. "This isn't funny. There is absolutely no way that I'm pregnant. That's what Dr. Reyes said. He said 'no way'. No fucking way for me to be pregnant. Why the fuck would you be this cruel?" Her eyes glassed over with unshed tears and her cheeks were tinged red with anger._

_My eyes widened at the venom in her voice. Both doctors stared at us with identical wide eyes._

_"Sookie, we're not joking around. We're not teasing. You ARE pregnant," Dr. Kaplan looked nervous._

_"Judging by the hormone levels I'd say about...6 weeks or so," Dr. Ludwig consulted the folder in front of her, nodding._

_I took her face in my hands and turned her to face me. Her eyes looked so wide and frightened and my heart broke for her._

_"Love. Why would they joke like this? They were there the whole time...through everything. Think about it, lover. A baby. We're going to have a baby," I felt the tears sparkling in my eyes._

_She blinked. "Really?"_

_She looked at the doctors once again. They nodded back to her, beaming. She whipped around to face me, the ends of her hair stinging my cheek._

_"We're gonna have a baby."_

_Her eyes widened even more, though I have no idea how that was possible._

_"Oh FUCK! We're gonna have a BABY!"_

_I squeezed her to me and crashed my lips onto hers._

_I vaguely heard the doctors mutter about leaving us alone. I also caught a strict order from Ludwig not to defile any of her furniture, but I paid her no mind. I wove my hands through Sookie's hair and cradled her head gently._

_Our tongues dueled for dominance until finally we had to break apart, gasping for breath._

_"A baby..." She rested her forehead against mine. "I can't believe it."_

_"Are you happy, love?" I was barely managing to contain my own joy trying to talk rationally with my girl. I felt like jumping up and down and shouting from the rooftops!_

_"Yes. I think I'm still in shock, but I know that I'm happy. Are you? We never really talked about it after...December. Ya know besides after Reyes' call," she nibbled on her lip and my cock twitched. God was she fucking beautiful._

_"I'm more than happy Sookie. I never thought my life would be as good as it is. And it's all because of you," I stroked a finger down her cheek and saw the tears glimmering in her eyes. Happy? God I was ecstatic! My girl was giving me a baby!_

_What else in life could possibly be so...perfect?_

_"I love you. So fucking much!" The tears finally spilled over and flowed down her cheeks. A few of my own made their way out and down my cheeks, but I didn't fucking care._

_"And I love you," I placed my hand on her taut stomach. "Both of you."_

_Early August 2007_

_My cell phone rang with an annoyingly peppy pop song dedicated to my Sookie._

_"Hey love. I'm almost done and I'll be heading home in a few hours. Just need to-"_

_"Eric."_

_My heart dropped. Something was wrong. Sookie's voice sounded all kinds of fucked up. I heard a sniffle and I jumped out of my chair, grabbing my keys._

_"Sookie, what? What's wrong?"_

_My heart beat wildly in my chest, trying to break free and fly to her on its own. I darted out the back door of the club, ignoring the yelp one of the waitresses let out as I flew past her._

_"I'm bleeding."_

_My heart stopped momentarily as I flashed back to her admission in the hospital. How much of a high it'd been to cut. I'd officially passed worried and was working on a panic level._

_"From where Sookie? Did you cut yourself?!"_

_I felt the panic bubbling up and I jammed the key into the ignition, mashing my foot on the gas pedal a little too hard. The car jumped forward violently before it evened out and I was able to veer out of the nearly empty parking lot. My mind was racing with possibilities as I waited for her answer._

_"No. Just-get home." She choked out a sob._

_The click sounded deafening in my ear as she hung up the phone. My heart leapt into my throat as a million different scenarios ran through my mind-her voice sounded so dead. It brought me back all too quickly to the hospital last December and I shuddered. No, this was not happening, not now!_

_I slipped on the porch steps as I raced inside, flinging the door open and frantically searching for my girl._

_"Sookie? Sookie!" I searched every room, my panic growing more and more profound when I didn't find her. I ran into our bedroom and skidded to a stop as I saw her in the adjoining bathroom, sitting on the floor with her back to the tub and her knees curled into her chest._

_Without thought, I rushed to her side dropping to my knees in front of her. Cradling her face in my hands I brought her eyes up to mine, searching for any hint of what was wrong._

_"Sookie, why didn't you answer me?! What happened?" I began stroking her cheeks with my thumbs._

_Slowly-so slowly that I felt every second tick past like it'd taken an hour-she brought her eyes up to mine._

_"It's my fault."_

_I stared into her eyes, at a complete loss._

_Huh? I was going over every memory I had, frantic to understand what she was saying._

_"It's my fucking fault. Everything about this is my fucking fault. I-I fucked up too bad. I'm just not supposed to...it's all my fucking fault." I could hear the defeat in her voice and my chest clenched in fear._

_She trembled as her head dropped again._

_"What?! What's your fault love? You're not making sense, baby. Please, please talk to me!" The hysteria I was feeling was an unwelcome sensation, one I hadn't felt since I'd walked in and found her unconscious all those months ago._

_"I lost it."_

_My brow furrowed in confusion. "Lost what? Sookie, what are you talking about?"_  
_Her eyes found mine a moment later and the pain that shone out nearly had me doubling over. As gently as I could, I lifted her and carried her into the bedroom. I sat on the bed, pulling her into my chest as we reclined against the headboard. Still, she reminded silent and passive in my arms._

_"Sookie, love-you're scaring me. What did you lose? What is your fault?"_

_"I lost the baby."_

_My heart stopped. I felt my grip slacken for a moment as I stared dumbly at her. Her eyes watered and she began pulling away from me. I shook myself as I grabbed her to me and buried my head in her shoulder._

_"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry," she repeated her apology over and over as she cried into my chest._

_Tears leaked from my eyes as I inhaled her unique Sookie scent._

_"There's nothing to be sorry for, lover. This is NOT your fault." I said the words and I truly believed them, but it didn't hurt any less. Not knowing how to support her in this moment and not knowing how I needed to be supported either, I hugged her tight._

_My heart broke as she began sobbing into my chest. And I began sobbing right along with her._


	10. Chapter 10: Sounds Like a Challenge

Present Day - December 2010

I drove a little faster than strictly allowed, dodging traffic lights and asshole drivers. I was anxious to see my girl. Sue me.

My phone vibrated again in my pocket and I leaned to try and dig it out. I was really going to have to start buying my own pants. These tight ones might be sexy for Sookie, but damn I couldn't ever get in my pockets.

"Hello?" I didn't recognize the number.

"Eric? Hey, it's Claudine."

I know I looked confused. My head waitress shouldn't have any reason to call me. "Why are you calling me? Preston's in the office."

"Uh, no he's not. I just checked," her voice wavered.

I sighed and ran my hand down my face in frustration. "Okay, what's up?"

As I dealt with the alleged crisis-although a missing delivery order which I'd already emailed to the distributor didn't qualify in my book-I pondered where Preston had gone. Everyone was acting weird today. He'd JUST been there.

I said goodbye to Claudine and tossed my phone on the passenger seat.

_December 22, 2007 - Winter Solstice_

_"Oh Sookie..." I called as I strode purposefully through the front door._

_No answer. Hmmm, hide and seek anyone?_

_I crept quietly through the hallway, peeking into rooms as I passed. I grew concerned when I didn't find her in the living room, dining room, kitchen or our bedroom or bathroom. I was creeping past the picture window in the hall on the way to the office when I caught a glimpse of something shimmery and purple. Ahhh, there she is._

_From the looks of it, she'd fallen asleep on the deck, basking in the fading sunlight._

_Perfect._

_Thankfully she stayed asleep while I gathered what I needed and set it up. She really was perfect because I was pressing play on my iPod when she finally stirred._

_"Oh, hey," she looked around her and her brow crinkled adorably. "It's already dark! You should have woken me up!"  
I smiled. "And miss watching you look like an angel? Never!"_

_She blushed and sat up slowly, bringing the towel with her to wrap around herself. The green water bottle next to her had been refilled by yours truly and she shot me a grateful grin as she gulped some down._

_I crossed the deck to her and pulled her gently to her feet._

_"Dance with me?"_

_Hr eyes shone as she nodded and wrapped her dainty hands around my neck. I rested my hands on her tiny waist and swayed her gently back and forth to the music._

_I smiled down at her as I noticed her nose twitch._

_"Food?"_

_I laughed at her adorable predictability and nodded. I pulled her to me and laid a gentle kiss on her forehead. She sighed in contentment and I did the same. Then my stomach knotted up in nerves again._

_I cleared my throat. "Come on. I've got steaks, grilled veggies, yellow rice and salads."_

_She grabbed her towel off the lounge chair and followed me across the deck to the table. I pulled her chair out gallantly and she giggled as I scooted her in once she'd sat._

_I beamed at her then whipped my shirt off, leaving me in just my swim trunks._

_She raised an eyebrow at me as I served her a glass of super sugary sweet tea. How she drank that I have no idea. Just looking at it made my teeth feel like they were rotting._

_"Just figured we should be even," I leered as my eyes roamed over her bikini clad body._

_We ate slowly, not feeling rushed at all. She told me about one of her regular customers that was always very specific about the way he liked his eggs cooked and she'd finally gotten it right today. Her animated tale, complete with hand gestures and sound effects, made my day seem dull in comparison. All I did was inventory and paperwork._

_When we'd finished eating, she dragged me up and towed me back towards our lounge chairs._

_"Come on! We've got a date with the Big Dipper," she grinned back at me. Her tiny hand inside my much larger one was warm and soft. I stopped walking and tugged her to a stop. She looked at me with a puzzled expression, clearly wondering what the fuck I was doing._

_I gulped and tried to smile, although by the look on her face I probably just managed to look constipated. I shook my head slightly and tried again._

_"Dance with me. The stars will be there all night," her eyes softened and I towed her body back towards mine. She laid her head on my chest as I looped my arms around her waist._

_"This is so middle school," she sighed as we swayed back and forth, no real motion between us. There was just pure contentment and love._

_"True," I chuckled and she giggled softly. "However, there's no middle schooler in the world with as fine an ass as you."_

_She let out a full on belly laugh and buried her head into my bare chest._

_"Or your abs."_

_Our laughter died down as we swayed to the dulcet tones flowing from my iPod. I stroked her hair and pressed a kiss to the top of her head as I took a deep breath._

_"Sookie," her big blue eyes trailed lazily up to meet mine. "I love you."_

_Her face broke out into a smile. I leaned forward slightly, aiming my lips to hers for a kiss._

_"I love you too," she replied when we broke apart for air._

_Sighing, I rested my forehead against hers and shut my eyes. When I opened them, staring into her azure depths, I gathered up my courage. I leaned down for another kiss and paused a millimeter away from her._

_"Marry me."_

_She froze. "What?"_

_If I wasn't holding her so close, I don't think I would have heard her. My heart leapt into my throat. I knew this was a bad idea. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it._

_"I love you. I want to marry you. I want to make you happy," the almost desperate sound of my voice was evident._

_I pulled back to see how badly I'd fucked things up. Hr eyes were wide and glistened with unshed tears. Her mouth was open and 'catching flies' as her Gran would say. The furrow between her eyebrows deepened the longer I looked at her._

_My hands dropped from her waist and I began to turn away from her, not able to watch her reject me._

_Her tiny hands caught me and halted my progress. She grabbed my face roughly and yanked my chin, forcing me to look at her once more. Her beaming smile broke through the desolate haze in my mind and I waited._

_She brought her face closer to mine and ghosted her lips across own. "Yes."_

_It was my turn to freeze._

_I expected her to day yes. I was devastated when I thought she was rejecting me. By my brain apparently didn't get the memo that she said yes. I was engaged. Engaged to Sookie! Holy fucking hell! Sookie said she'd marry me!_

_I whooped loudly and grabbed her around the waist, swinging her in a circle. We laughed boisterously, the sound carrying on the slight breeze._

_I pulled her close to me and nuzzled into her hair, pressing small kisses into her hair, down her neck, behind her hair-anywhere I could get to. Her a hand in the center of my chest stopped my amorous motions and I took a deep breath before pulling away._

_"So. Do I get a ring?"_

_Grinning, I dug into the mesh pocket on the back of my swim trunks and brought out a gleaming silver ring._

_"What would you have done with that if we'd gone swimming?"_

_The smirk she tried to hide was a dead giveaway. I gently pushed the ring onto her finger before I hefted her over my shoulder and jumped straight into the pool. Despite the balmy December breeze on the deck, the water was frigid and I gasped as I broke the surface._

_"You fucking ass!"_

_She pounced on my back, trying to dunk me and I jumped backwards, evading her clutches. We tired each other out wrestling in the pool before we settled down to watch the stars like we'd planned. Completely content, we drifted to sleep just before the sky began to lighten with the impending dawn._

March 30, 2008

_"Pam! This is enough!"_

_Sookie and I let my sister plan most of my wedding and we let her pick out my outfit. We even let her go nuts with the food and decorations. I absolutely drew the line at her putting make up on me._

_"But Eric! The pictures! This will even out your skin tone!"_

_She came at me again with a poofy thingamajig with some kind of tan powder on it._

_"Pam! I'm a man! I do not wear makeup. Sookie likes me just fine without makeup, uneven skin tone and all," I took a closer look at the powder she was trying to blot onto me. "Pam! It's got sparkles in it!"_

_She huffed and rolled her eye. "It's shimmer, not sparkles! Fine. Be ugly, I don't even care." She threw her hands up and began stalking off._

_"Thanks SO much for ruining all my hard work, big brother!"_

_I sighed and wiped my hand down my face. I swear, you'd think it was her wedding._

_Lafayette and Preston scooted in the door, throwing terrified looks over their shoulders._

_"Da FUCK?!" Lafayette flopped into a plush chair in the corner and fanned his face with his hand._

_"She's gone off the deep end. I swear, I'm not going near that girl when she's the one getting married," Preston nodded at Lafayette._

_I chuckled and agreed. There was a knock on the door and I pulled it open quickly, dreading who was on the other side._

_"For fucks sake, let me in!" We collapsed into laughter as my dad darted inside and slammed the door shut, panting as he rested against it. "Your sisters gone insane!"_

_After another round of laughter, we settled down and I began pacing. Again. I swear the linoleum would be worn out before they let me outside._

_"How much longer?" I check my watch. I shook the damn thing and held it to my ear. There's no possible way it's working. Time was just going too damn slowly._

_"Chill yo fine ass, Northman. Whatcha worried bout? Sooks is gonna bring that fine ass o hers and y'all is gonna get hitched. I though you wanted dis," Lafayette pointed out._

_"Dude. I'm not worried about Sookie. I'm not worried about getting married. I'm excited as all fuck about that. I'm worried about how much longer I can take Pam! And I'm wondering how much longer until Sookie gets fed up with her," I wrung my hands lightly. "She can't ruin Sookie's day! I'll kill her!"  
Dad sighed. "You're gonna make me go check on her aren't you?"_

_Preston stifled a chuckle behind his hand._

_"Just for that I should make you go." His face paled considerably and he ducked behind Lafayette trying to hide._

_"Nuh uh boyfriend. Yous on your own."_

_"Oh I'll go, I'll go. I wanna make sure Sookie hasn't come to her senses and tried to make a tun for it," Dad turned to grip the door knob._

_"Shit! Wait!" I dashed to the duffle bag I had stashed in the corner. I rummaged until I pulled out a small gift wrapped box. "Give her this please."_

_Dad beamed at me and took the outstretched package. He paused a moment at the cracked door, muttered what looked like a silent prayer and sighed as he stepped out into the hallway._

_Lafayette, Preston and I sat and paced waiting for someone to come get us when it was time to begin._

_"PAM!"_

_I jumped about a mile in the air before dissolving into giggles. I mean-manly, burly belly laughs. Oh who the hell am I kidding, I giggled. Sookie had finally reached her breaking point and I could hear it all the way inside the house. I peeked out the windows, not seeing anything of course, but hoping to catch a glimpse of my love. The RV set up along the side of Jason's house to serve as the girls area was parked around the other side of the house. Was it too much to ask that they move it closer to me?_

_I whipped around as the door to the room flung open, expecting Hurricane Pam once again. However I was faced with something much, much worse._

_Monsoon Mom._

_Lafayette and Preston both threw their handkerchiefs at me in terror and fled the room as my mom bustled in._

_"Oh, baby boy! You look so grown up!" She sniffled into the handkerchief she already had. "I remember just like it was yesterday you were climbing trees and telling me that girls had cooties."_

_"Mom," I gently patted her shoulder. "I WAS climbing trees yesterday."_

_I couldn't tell if the resulting noise she let out was a laugh or a sob, but either way she was smiling. Mission accomplished._

_"You look really pretty Mom. I'm so glad you decided to hang around," I hugged her close to me, careful not to let her slightly smeared eye makeup get anywhere near my clothes._

_Ever since Pam and I had grown up, my parents had spent most of their time gallivanting around the world, only stopping in at home occasionally. It seemed as though their travel bug had been sated and this was the longest stretch they'd been home in years._

_"Well, we finally have some perspective on things. You all are way too important. I don't want to miss anything else," her eyes welled up and she sniffled lightly again before she choked back her tears. "And you look so handsome! Sookie looks gorgeous, of course. Seriously, does that girl ever look less than perfect?"_

_I sighed with what I'm sure was a goofy smile on my face. "Nope. She's absolutely one hundred percent perfect all the fucking time!"_

_"That's my boy!" She straightened out my shirt and checked to make sure my buttons were done correctly._

_I check my watch once again and gulped. Time seemed to have warp sped forward all of a sudden. "Shit. I gotta get out there!"_

_"Relax, baby boy. Walk your mom out," she held her arm out for me and I took it gladly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head._

_We walked out to the backyard and down to the gazebo Jason had by the lake. Preston stood silently in the entrance, smiling as we approached. I smiled at Pam and Lafayette and handed Mom off to Dad as I took my place near Preston._

_Lafayette turned and pressed play on the iPod dock we'd set up and a soft instrumental began paying. I turned to watch the RV and gulped in a huge breath as the door open and Jason stepped out._

_Then she stepped down onto the grass. My breath caught and I nearly fell to my knees. I felt the tears spill over onto my cheeks, but didn't do a damn thing about it. My chest ached as I took in how perfect my love looked. Her flowing off white dress was shimmery and gauzy, giving her an ethereal air. Her blonde locks were gathered up haphazardly and secured with a thin silver headband. Her makeup was perfect, light and barely there. She didn't need it anyways. She wore the silver bracelet I'd sent over with my dad on her dainty wrist and the diamond stud earrings that I'd given her for her birthday last year. Her feet, surprisingly were bare. She had some kind of flowery thing wrapped around her feet and ankles, but the bottoms were bare. She clutched her pink bouquet of daisies and beamed a glorious smile at me. I didn't even notice that they'd reached me._

_I gasped in a breath. Her eyes shimmered with tears as Jason kissed her cheek gently and put her hand in mine._

_"You-" I gasped again. "You're gorgeous!"_

_A tear spilled over onto her cheek and she giggled lightly, making no move to brush it away._

_"Good thing I used waterproof makeup!"_

_The tension broke as Pam's perfectly timed snark sounded behind us and everyone laughed heartily._

_"Alright, alright, calm down everyone." Preston waved his hands around and everyone settled. "I'm gonna make this short and sweet since its just us."_

_We nodded at him in unison. Suddenly I was exceedingly happy that we'd agreed to let Preston get ordained and perform the ceremony._

_"I've never know two people who are more perfect for each other. After everything you two have been through, you're stronger than ever. And that-that is beautiful and I feel honored and blessed every day just to be near you," my eyes misted over as Preston talked and I glanced sideways to see Sookie had tears streaming down her cheeks. "Eric, do you take Sookie to be your lawfully wedded wife? And everything that that entails?"_

_"I do."_

_Sookie gasped out a sob and squeezed my hand tightly. I brought her hand to my lips and laid a gentle kiss on her palm before letting our hands drop back down to our sides._

_"And Sookie, do you take Eric to be your lawfully wedded husband? And everything that that entails?"_

_"I do."_

_I know my heart must have combusted. I beamed over at Sookie and moved to kiss her. A hand on my shoulder stopped me._

_"Hang on. One more part," Preston chuckled and was joined by everyone gathered with us. "Put the rings on each others fingers and repeat after me. With this ring, I am yours and you are mine."_

_Sookie and I faced each other. She slid my ring on and I repeated the gesture._

_"With this ring I am yours and you are mine."_

_Our voices trailed off and I looked out the side of my eyes at Preston._

_"Yes, go ahead."_

_I grabbed Sookie and crushed my lips to hers. The hollers and whoops of our family around us were drowned out by the rushing sound in my ears. Her tongue begged for entrance to my mouth and I granted it, sweeping mine around hers._

_We drew back when we needed a breath and I rested my forehead on hers._

_"I love you. I cannot imagine being happier than right now," Sookie sighed in contentment and I ran a finger down her cheek._

_"Well. That sounds like a challenge love."_

_We gripped each other tightly, collapsing into fits of giggles._

_I mean...manly laughter. Shit._


	11. Chapter 11: Told You So

Present Day - December 2010

I drove down our street, anxious to get home to Sookie. Someone was having a party. There were a hell of a lot more cars than normal parked...everywhere. Thankfully, our driveway was clear and I pulled in quickly.

I unfolded myself from the car and began making my way towards the front door. Shrieking from the backyard had me veering around the side of the house. I pulled open the gate on the side of the house and stepped silently through. Thankfully I'd remembered to oil the hinges last week, so there were no squeaks to be heard.

I paused at the side of the deck, surveying the scene in front of me. Sookie had finally 'forgiven' my parents for forcing a pool on us and she now lazily watched the rest of the goings on with a small smile gracing her face. She shifted uncomfortably and I watched her face screw up in a pained grimace.

My attention was distracted when one of the backyard's occupants noticed my spying and vaulted herself towards me and flung herself into my arms.

"Daddy!"

_Mothers Day 2008_

_"Eric!" Sookie's screech had me vaulting off the couch in a half asleep stupor and stumbling into our bedroom clumsily._

_She ran wildly into the bedroom, something small clutched in her hand. She proceeded to shove that small piece of plastic under my nose._

_"Tell me that says what I think it does!"_

_I blinked. Huh?_

_It was almost midnight, we had to be up early for her doctors appointment in the morning and she was screeching at me. All when I'd been nearly asleep in front of the TV. She'd have to forgive my confusion._

_"What?"_

_She shoved the thing in my hand and I noticed tears welling in her eyes. That snapped me right the fuck out of my haze. I grabbed her to me and kissed her softly, plastic forgotten._

_"Sookie, what's wrong love?"_

_"Just-just...look!"_

_The smile on her face confused me. So I glanced at the small piece of plastic. On the small digital face was the word 'Pregnant'._

_My mind was apparently stuck in an alternate reality. Maybe I'd fallen asleep and this was a dream._

_"I'm dreaming, right?"_

_The smack Sookie delivered to my chest was definitely NOT in a dream. That shit hurt!_

_"If you are then so am I! I was taking the test to speed along the process with Ludwig tomorrow. Remember she told me I could do it at home instead of wasting time at my appointment?" I nodded mutely. "Well, I got a positive on the first one. But I figured it was a false positive. But then..."_

_She motioned to the open doorway of the bathroom and I peeked inside. There were probably twenty tests sitting on various flat surfaces, all with varying methods of displaying the affirmation that Sookie was in fact pregnant._

_"Is that why you ran out of here in such a rush earlier? Your went to CVS, didn't you?"_

_She nodded and her eyes glistened. "I...I had to be sure. I'm gonna have Ludwig test again tomorrow, just to be sure. Seriously, Eric! I just-"_

_She trailed off and gasped in a slight sniffle. My limbs finally decided to work and I wrapped her in my arms._

_"Aren't you happy, love? I thought you wanted this. Although I'm puzzled as to how it happened since you're on the shot," I felt my brow crinkle in confusion. After the last pregnancy fiasco Sookie had gone on birth control since Doc didn't think Sookie could handle another miscarriage so soon._

_"I am. I mean, I got it on time last month and I haven't been on anything else...I don't know. Do you think-I mean, do you think this will actually take? I don't know if I could deal with another...ya know. Like before?" I nodded and kissed the crown of her head as she nuzzled into my chest. I hoped to hell we didn't have to go through that ever again,_

_"We'll take it one day at a time, okay?" I held her tighter. "We'll tell Ludwig tomorrow and get an appointment with Reyes. You can make an appointment with Doc too if you want, just to head off any issues. Sound good?" I kissed her hair and my smile grew._

_She nodded and pulled away from me with wide eyes._

_"Eric. We're gonna have a baby." Her face lit up at the realization and I reminded myself how much I loved seeing her like this. She is so beautiful._

_I laughed and grabbed her again, lifting her off her feet and spinning wildly in a circle._

_"A baby! A baby! We're going to have a baby!"_

_Our chant grew in volume until we both collapsed on the bed into fits of laughter, kissing in celebration._

_January 20, 2009_

_"This is so FUCKING stupid!"_

_I wiped Sookie's forehead with a cool washcloth and pressed a kiss lightly to her head._

_"You're on my shit list at the moment. Fucking asshole."_

_I chuckled as she grumbled some more. Our precious bundle of joy, or Devil's spawn as Sookie had taken to calling her, was very reluctant to leave the comfort of Sookie's womb. As a result, we were now on day 3 of an induction. Sookie was NOT a happy camper._

_"It's almost over, love. I promise, before tomorrow we're going to see our beautiful baby girl," my heart jumped as I said the words, still not quite believing this was actually happening. I half expected to wake up and be disappointed that it was only a dream. However, the body aches from the God damned hospital furniture had returned, reminding me that this was not, in fact, a dream._

_Dr. Hunter bustled into the room and checked Sookie yet again._

_"Looks like that breakthrough pain was just what you needed. You're almost there. Past 9," she smiled and patted Sookie's leg comfortingly._

_Sookie gritted her teeth as more pain broke through her epidural. "Thank fuck!"_

_The doctor and nurses grinned and moved around, readying the room for the arrival of a new tiny person._

_"Can you tell everyone for me?" She pleaded with wide eyes. "I feel so bad that they've just been sitting out there forever."_

_As I pulled away to comply with her wishes, she clasped an iron grip on my arm, digging her nails into my skin painfully. "No! Text Pam!"_

_I sighed and returned to her side, pulling my phone out of my pants and mashing the appropriate buttons._

_I went back to stroking her hair and pressing kisses to her face and neck whenever I could._

_I sat there with my beautiful Sookie, my wife, waiting to give birth to my daughter. I couldn't help but look back on how we got here and the many incredible twists and turns it'd taken. The love I felt for this woman was astounding. Not once since meeting her did I ever imagine my life without her in it. My stomach clenches as I realize how badly I could have fucked everything up. It seems like a different lifetime ago since I found her bleeding on the floor._

_I took a deep breath. See us now, I felt my heart ache at the thought of not being exactly here right now, I loved this woman so much. We were a family. And, by some miraculous chance, we were adding to it._

_A half hour later, Sookie's hand shot out ninja quick and gripped my hand, jerking me out of my musings._

_"Fuck! Shit, fuck shit-I have to push!"_

_Her face flushed red and I reached frantically to press the call button._

_"Yes?" The disembodied voice inquired._

_"Uh-Sookie says she needs to push..."_

_The intercom beeped and clicked off before I could finish so I really hoped they heard me. Whatever._

_"Shhh, love. Not yet. Wait for the doctor," I held her hand gently and pressed my lips to hers._

_She panted and struggled to sit up a bit to relieve what I imagined was enormous pressure trying to escape her body._

_Dr. Hunter breezed into the room, gloves already on and immediately went to check Sookie's progress._

_"You guys ready? It's almost over," the nurse was helping her into a yellow paper gown as she spoke and another nurse was adjusting Sookie's bed. I helped scoot Sookie down so her ass was hanging almost off and lifted one leg into the stirrups as another nurse lifted the other. I felt like I was putting her on a torture rack. I almost chuckled, but thought better of it._

_"Alright Sookie I need you to push with the next contraction, can you do that for me? No talking, just hold your breath and push."_

_I was so glad in that moment for Dr. Hunter's calm presence. Sookie nodded and her eyes cut up to mine, her brow furrowed in pain._

_"I love you Sookie. You're so much stronger than I could ever be," the tears welled in my eyes as I spoke and I saw her eyes mist up in return._

_And then she gasped as Dr. Hunter prompted her to start pushing._

_Forty seven agonizing minutes later I watched as our daughter slid out of Sookie's body. I gulped in air and grabbed Sookie's hand, pressing an almost violent kiss to it as the doctor leaned up to place our little girl on Sookie's chest._

_"Are you going to cut the cord?"_

_I barely glanced at the nurse, but nodded. I stared in awe at the tiny little person covered in goop squawking away on Sookie._

_We cooed over her tiny fingers and tiny toes as the doctor finished delivering the placenta-uh ew?-and cleaned Sookie up. Thankfully she didn't tear, which I know she was afraid of._

_The umbilical cord had stopped pulsing and the nurse came over to clamp it off so I could clip it._

_I gripped the scissors, terrified that I would do something wrong. It didn't matter that there was a clearly defined and clamped off area in which I was to snip. This little girl was counting on me and I didn't want to let her down._

_It was spongy and odd when I finally forced myself to wield the scissors and cut. I shivered a bit. That was entirely disconcerting and I gladly abandoned the task in order to return to my wife and daughter._

_The baby had a sprinkling of barely discernible blonde hair-no surprise there given that we were her parents. Her tiny limbs were flailing around as Sookie propped her up against her._

_"She sounds hungry. Try giving her a boob and then well clean her up," a nurse piped up from the foot of the bed._

_I helped Sookie shift so that she was sitting up a bit and grabbed another blanket from the table next to her bed to drape over the both of them._

_With shaking hands, Sookie steadied the baby in the crook of one arm and lifted her breast to her mouth._

_The baby nuzzled and sniffled before opening her mouth and latching on like a champ. Sookie's face screwed up for a moment before she glanced up at me._

_"It feels...weird."_

_I just sat on the edge of the bed staring, in complete awe of the two beautiful females before me. I pressed a kiss to Sookie's head and then leaned down to press one on the baby's head, blood and goop and all._

_"Does this little beauty have a name yet?"_

_Our heads shot up as the nurse spoke and we glanced at each other._

_"You think?" She nodded her head down to look at the angel in her arms._

_"She'd be thrilled. And I think it fits. But it's your call. After all, I didn't do much of anything here," I smiled._

_Sookie smirked indulgently and turned to face the nurse._

_"Pamela Michaela Northman."_

_"It's beautiful," the nurse remarked as she jotted the name down on some paperwork. "Congratulations you guys. I'll leave you alone. Just push the call button when you're ready for them to clean her up."_

_We nodded in acknowledgement, but neither of us could seem to tear our gaze away from Pam._

_"Thank you, love. I have no idea why you chose me, but I will be eternally grateful that you did. And there's nothing in this world that I could ever give you that could compare to this beautiful miracle that you've given me. Thank you," the tears spilled over onto my cheeks, prompting Sookie to begin crying as well._

_As Pam nursed and drifted into her milk coma, Sookie and I just stared at our daughter._

_My heart burst with pride and love just thinking about it. We have a daughter._

_May 20, 2010_

_"Just take the damn test Sookie!"_

_With Pam on my hip and my arm outstretched, I waved the pregnancy test I was holding at my extremely stubborn wife._

_"Why? We know what it's going to say. Seriously, this is stupid. I just have the flu," Sookie allowed her arm to flop over her eyes and sighed from her sprawled out position in our bed._

_"No, you think you know what it's going to say. After all Dr. Reyes was wrong once, he can be wrong again. Just take the fucking test!"_

_"Dada. Ba wood."_

_Rolling my eyes and kissing her forehead, I nodded at my daughter._

_"Yes, baby. Bad word. Daddy's sorry. Can you go play for a little bit so daddy can talk to momma?"_

_When she nodded affirmatively, I set her down gently and Pam toddled off to play in her room. It's still hard to believe that she was almost 18 months old. She talked early and walked a little bit after. And every day since she'd been getting sturdier on those gangly little legs that looked more suited to a 3 year old._

_"Sookie, love," I sat next to her on the bed and let my hand trail gently over her stomach. "You've been sick for two weeks. You're tired. You're constantly hot. If you're NOT pregnant then we need to find out what IS wrong. You need to get better."_

_She sighed and shot me the stink eye. "Fine."_

_Sookie huffed and slowly sat up. She pondered for a moment before her eyes bulged and she bolted for the bathroom, where I heard the sounds of her retching._

_I sighed and grabbed the test, making my way into the bathroom._

_She stood shakily and I handed her a stick of gum. She raised her eyebrow._

_"Brushing right after throwing up spreads around the stomach acid and rots your teeth."_

_Sookie began chewing and unwrapped the test before sitting down to pee._

_"I can't believe you actually think I'm pregnant. I'm not a complete fucktard with birth control, ya know. That's the beauty of the damn ring...no fucking shit like the shot," Sookie's grumbles were mildly adorable since I knew in about a minute she'd be shocked into silence._

_I have no idea how I knew it with such certainty, but I did._

_She capped the test and set it on the counter next to her before finishing up and coming to bury her head in my chest._

_"Now you got me thinking. And I don't honestly know how I'll react with whatever result we get. I mean-I want more. But we knew Pam would probably be the only one we'd have. It was a miracle that we got her. I just...fuuuuuuuuck," she sniffled and I bit back a groan. I hated it when she cried._

_A minute later I nudged her gently._

_"Time to look."_

_She gulped in a breath and looked up at me pleadingly._

_"You look. I can't."_

_I released her from my arms and stepped over to the sink. I felt my face break into a huge grin as I picked it up._

_"Sook." I spun around to see her sitting on the edge of our massive tub hunched over her knees with her head in her hands._

_I crossed the bathroom quickly and knelt in front of her._

_"Look at me love." She shook her head silently. I chuckled and pried her hands away from her face, raising her eyes to mine. "You're pregnant."_

_"Huh?"_

_"You're pregnant," I nuzzled softly into her hair, pressing kisses all over her face. I brought my lips right next to her ear, licking her softly. "I told you so."_

_With a yelp, I darted away from her as she tried to chase after me, whacking at me. She dissolved into a weird combination of giggly sobs and I immediately scooped her up in my arms,_

_"We're having another baby," she sighed and rested her forehead against mine._

_"Who gets to tell Pam?"_

_We stared at each other for a moment._

_"Not it!"_


	12. Chapter 12: Surprise Guest

**Present Day - December 21, 2010**

I was caught. As Pam ran towards me I bent down to scoop her up, hugging her to me.

"Hey Angel! Were you good for momma and Gran today?" I press a kiss to Pam's head and begin walking towards the deck where Sookie was struggling to get up from a lounge chair.

My mom held out her hand and pulled her up, both of them breathing a little heavier afterwards.

"Yea daddy! We hab bun!" Pam's tiny hands clapped in excitement as she bounced on my hip. I can't quite believe how time has flown by so quickly. I was watching my little angel talk animatedly about her day and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. She looked so much like my Sookie when she was excited. Her eyes had the same sparkle.

"You had fun?! Wow! What'd you do?"

I looked up to search out the original owner of said sparkle and caught a frantic look between Sookie and my mom. Pam pursed her lips together.

"No tew. Secwet." She declared with her hands on her tiny hips. She looked over to Mom and Sookie who were now holding back laughter.

I furrowed my brow and nuzzled into her neck, tickling her with the slight stubble there.

"A secret? That's not very nice Love Bug." I squeezed her tight and she giggled.

Sookie laughed, breaking my attention away from our daughter. "Oh would you come kiss me already? You have more than one girl to appease here."

Laughing I crossed the small space between us and pulled her into my arms. I slanted my mouth against hers and flicked my tongue out against the seam of her lips. I moaned in contentment. I loved kissing her after a long day of work-or first thing in the morning-or cooking dinner; hell I just love kissing her! Every time our lips met I was reminded of how passionate our love is. I got lost in the kiss and didn't notice how long had passed until I felt a weight being lifted from my side.

"You guys say hi. We'll be inside," my mom smiled and hefted Pam onto her own hip before retreating through the sliding glass door.

I smiled and turned back to my extremely pregnant wife. I leaned over her belly and cupped her face in my hands, laying small kisses all over her. Her tinkling giggle was a welcome sound and I reveled in that serene moment. God I love this woman!

"So, love-what did y'all do today?"

She laughed heartily. "Y'all? Since when do you-Mr. European extraordinaire-start saying y'all?"

"I dunno. It felt right." I sat back down on the lounge chair and pulled her to stand between my legs, resting my head on the bump. I got a healthy kick and then I felt her stomach tighten.

I looked up and saw her face screwed up in a grimace. I started rubbing soothing circles around her stomach and placing kisses between my questions.

"You're contracting? How long?"

I was worried. After the fiasco with Pam's three day long birth, I was dreading this ones entrance. I tried to soothe my anxiety with the fact that he wasn't due until January 27. But it wasn't working out too well.

"It's just Braxton hicks. Don't worry about it. Come on inside. We made you a surprise today," Sookie's mischievous smirk caused me to raise my eyebrow.

Seriously-everyone was acting squirrelly.

I got up off the chair and stole one more lingering kiss before I hugged her tight to me. I was worried, but I was trying not to bring her mood down. She gripped my hand and towed me towards the door. She paused just before walking inside.

"Now, Pam's probably got it all set up in there. So close your eyes," her smirk made me wary.

Reluctantly I shut my eyes and let her lead me blindly. I stumbled over the threshold of the siding glass door and jumped a bit to relieve the ache in my toe. I heard rustling and twitched my eyebrow up. I heard little feet running to me and I didn't stop the happy smirk from stretching across my face.

"Otay daddy!" She yelled excitedly as she grabbed at me.

Pam's tiny hand gripped the hand that wasn't encased with Sookie's and I picked her up before opening my eyes.

"Surprise!"

I jumped a little as people popped out from behind furniture and walls. Then the amusement grabbed me and I laughed as I nuzzled my nose into Pam's hair. I was caught a little off guard, but happy to see everyone.

"What's this, Love Bug?"

She giggled and looked to Sookie, who nodded in encouragement. "Dis your baby sower."

Her tone suggested that I must be pretty stupid for not figuring that out. I laughed and kissed her temple and pulled Sookie closer to us for a hug.

"MY baby shower? But I though baby showers were for mommies," I shot a glance at Sookie. Pam giggled again as I looked around at the assembled masses.

Mom and Dad were there, hugging each other. Dad had a smug look on his face and Mom looked like she was about to burst into tears. I nodded at them before my eyes swept farther into the room. Preston and Lafayette were bustling about, putting out food. I caught Preston's eye and gave him my best stink eye. He just laughed and shrugged his shoulders. Jason and Pam were there, making eyes at the same girl. I snorted trying to hold back the laughter. Those two were seriously a riot when they were together. There were other friends Sookie and I had managed to pick up along the way, as well as Preston and Lafayette's daughter Amelia, who I assumed was there to keep my baby company.

"Apparently it wasn't fair that I got a baby shower for her. Now that the bean here is a boy, you deserve one too," Sookie's smirk threatened to break into a full blown smile before her face contorted into a pained wince once again.

As I started to go to her, she shook her head quickly. "I'm fine. Pam was really excited to surprise you. Go talk to people." I walked to her and kissed her temple in spite of her brush off. I gave her a lingering look, but as she waved her hands to shoo me away I had no choice but to give in.

Reluctant to leave her, I clutched Pam to me tighter and made my rounds. It turns out that this whole thing had been my Love Bug's idea and she'd pulled off most of it without Sookie knowing. She's got my parents wrapped around her little tiny fingers and they'd helped her with the majority of it. Thankfully. I didn't really want Sookie putting any more stress on herself.

Despite the ease of Sookie's first pregnancy, this one was proving to be more of a challenge. The pregnancy itself was miserable what with the constant Braxton Hicks, the pressure on her sciatic nerve, the nausea that never really went away...and put all that on top of running after a toddler and Sookie was supremely miserable. And I was worried about her. Although I think my hovering and doting started to wear on her nerves around month 4.

Dad snagged my keys to retrieve the frozen meals he'd helped me stash in the trunk and left me in the more then overbearing hands of my mother and sister.

"Hun? Im kinda worried about Sookie," Mom's tone conveyed more than worry, so I handed my Love Bug over to my sister and turned to face her.

"What's up mom?"

"Well, she tried to play it off, but she's been contracting all day. And it seemed to get progressively worse. I snuck off and called Dr. Hunter around lunchtime, but there's not really anything she can do unless Sookie calls," she caught her lip between her teeth and nibbled.

"Why wouldn't Sookie call? She did last week when she kept contracting. Dr. Hunter said it was only more important since she already started to dilate!" Now I was chewing on my lip. These damn women were rubbing off on me.

"She didn't want to ruin this for you," I opened my mouth to protest. "Or Pam! Heaven forbid she mess it up for that girl."

I gave an affectionate sigh and rubbed my hand down my face. That woman would be the death of me.

"Alright well can you just-keep an eye on her for me?"

Mom nodded and I began circulating among the guests again, snagging my daughter back in the process.

Twenty minutes and lots of socializing later, we were called to order to play some games.

Mom gathered up all the men, Lafayette protesting loudly, to play the first game. She handed each of us a doll which I'm fairly certain would make their way into Pam's toy collection after tonight. Then she went on to explain about how to diaper a baby with cloth prefolds and got out the stopwatch. The objective was to diaper the baby the fastest. There were some obstacles along the way, including safety pins that were glued closed, prefolds that ripped if you tugged them, and a few other things. It was clear that even if we'd used disposable diapers most of the men would have been perplexed. I was just as well when Lafayette succeeded in tying his diaper on in what appeared to be a completely fashionable way and won the prize.

The ensuing laughter was a welcome sound. I looked around for Pam, happy to see she and Amelia had snagged a couple dolls and were playing in the hallway. I glanced around for Sookie, but couldn't seem to find her. I asked Mom and Jason if they had seen her, but they both shook their heads. Dad piped up to note that she was probably resting. Reluctantly I agreed to leave her alone to get whatever rest she could manage, but that didn't temper the alarm I felt at not seeing her.

My panic was momentarily distracted by the demand for some wii bowling and we started sorting out teams.

An hour later, I realized that Sookie'd been MIA for quite awhile and I excused myself to go find her. I checked the kitchen, expecting to find her snacking away, but she wasn't. I checked the hall bathroom and the den, my sense of urgency magnifying with every room she wasn't in. Visions of her face down in a pool of blood sprang in front of my eyes, only made more horrifying because she was pregnant. I swallowed down my anxiety and kept up my methodical search.

I popped my head into our bedroom and caught some slight noises coming from the bathroom.

"Baby? You in here? Everyone's getting rowdy and-" my words were cut off by a high pitched whine.

Crossing the room swiftly, I threw the door open and my eyes shot wide open.

"Sookie!"

She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry! I-" she paused and grit her teeth, panting through another contraction. "I thought I had more time. Then I fell and I couldn't get back up. I tried shouting, but with all the noise..."

I dropped to my knees and felt the panic bubble up in my stomach. I felt out of control and worried was a mild emotion compared to what I felt. I looked at her, waiting for some instruction because-lets face it-I was completely out of my element.

She panted through another contraction and I began to panic even more. I grabbed her hand in mine and pressed a kiss on it.

"Shit! Let me go tell someone. Hold on!"

I darted back to the living room and pulled my mom aside to explain. Not waiting for anything other than a nod of acknowledgment, I raced back to my wife.

"Shit! Sookie, I don't know what to do here! Lets try to get you in the car," I threw my arm carefully around her shoulder and tried to hoist her to her feet. Her knees buckled immediately and it was all I could do to keep her from crumpling back to the ground.

She laid back down on the rug and shut her eyes. Turning to the side, she pressed her cheek to the cold tile underneath her panting as she tried to regulate her breathing. I tried in vain to remember what we did at Pam's birth, but my head was so scrambled that nothing was making sense.

My panic was rapidly increasing. She couldn't have the baby here! I don't know what to do, what if something happens, she wanted pain medication, she wanted-

"Fuck! Eric I have to push!" She gripped her legs and pulled them back, her bathing suit bottom already having been discarded sometime before I came in.

"Sookie, no! I don't know what to do! Can't you just-wait?"

The withering glare she shot in my direction would have terrified the strongest man alive. "You have to Eric. I-I-FUCK!"

Her teeth ground together as she began pushing, pulling her upper body up off the floor.

I sat helplessly between her legs, waiting for something to happen or for me to wake up from this nightmare. I prayed to every deity I could think of that they would be okay-that my wife and son would make it through this. We never talked about the possibility of not making it to the hospital in time. It wasn't supposed to go this way! Shit! Fuck, I can totally see a head!

She panted as she stopped pushing. "Get-towels."

Gladly I compiled and grabbed some of our huge bath towels from the linen closet before returning to Sookie. Thankfully, the panic had receded. Like it or not our son wanted out. Now. All I could do was position myself between her legs and get ready to catch.

Ten pushes later and his slimy, squirming body slid out wailing away. I was speechless. He was so gorgeous. I had a son.

Sookie collapsed back onto the floor and began crying.

I stared at the bloody, gooey little boy in my hands just frozen in awe. She did it. Again.

"Eric-" Sookie's weak voice broke through the fog in my brain and I immediately sprang into action, placing the baby gently on her chest and draping a towel over the two of them.

I settled next to them on the bathroom floor and pulled my phone out, quickly snapping a picture before dialing.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"My wife just gave birth on our bathroom floor and I'm not quite sure what to do now," I explained tiredly.

After following the dispatchers instructions for delivering the placenta, noting the time of birth, clamping off and cutting the cord and observing if there was any tearing (there wasn't thank fuck!), we sat back to wait for the paramedics to arrive.

"So-I think this ones gonna give us a run for the money huh? Impatient little fucker," Sookie's ragged breathing skipped as she chuckled.

I settled back against the tub and shifted her so that she was laying back against me, cradling the baby in her arms as he nursed.

"Did you seriously just call our newborn son a little fucker?" I couldn't help the bubble of hysterical laughter that erupted out of me.

"Yes. Yes I did. And after that-" she motioned haphazardly towards the bathroom floor, still covered in blood and bodily fluids, "I think I deserve to call him whatever I want. At least for now."

"Very true, love. Very true," I paused to kiss the top of her head. "I can't believe we have a son. And I seriously can't believe I delivered him on our bathroom floor!"

"Yeah, that hasn't quite sunk in either. I never thought I'd do that without an epidural. And I can honestly say that I never want to again. Ever. You'll be lucky to squeeze another kid out of me after that," Sookie's irritated huff had me stifling a huge grin. I seriously didn't want to be on the receiving end of whatever hormone surges were likely to occur soon.

"That's fine love. I'll even get snipped for you if you want."

We settled back into a comfortable silence until we heard a quiet knock on the bedroom door.

"Eric? The paramedics are here," Mom's voice filtered in and I carefully stood, shifting Sookie as little as possible to go open the door.

"Alright m'am, what seems to be the trouble here?" A young paramedic crouched down in front of Sookie as he began taking her vital signs.

Sookie rolled her eyes at his cheek. "Dude. You're like five years older than me. Don't m'am me."

The two paramedics that were crowded into our bathroom let out hearty laughs, startling the baby and making him wail.

With quick and practiced movements, we got Sookie and the baby up and into the ambulance, her bitching the entire way. I pressed a quick kiss to Pam's head and followed after in my car, making sure to grab the carseat on my way out the door.

After a quick trip to the hospital to get Sookie and the baby cleaned up and the necessary statistics recorded, we fled like our collective asses were on fire.

Apparently Sookie didn't think staying in the hospital was a necessity since she'd already done the hard part. It did take some convincing on the doctors part, but after promising what seemed like a million times to call if we had any problems, we were finally free to go.

Walking into the house, seeing the party guests still assembled was a bit overwhelming. Everyone was surprised to see us home, expecting just a phone call with an update on how Sookie and the baby were doing. My parents and sister rushed to us, gathering around Sookie and the baby.

"Thanks for staying everyone. Apparently the guest of honor decided he'd had enough incubating. Let me introduce-" I pulled Sookie away from my family and nestled her into my side. "Heath Lukas Northman."

"Love Bug, come meet your baby brother," I took the baby from Sookie, who hobbled away to sink onto the couch next to Jason, who she leaned against immediately. I crouched down to Pam's level and held Heath up to her.

She wrinkled her nose as she looked him over.

"He's stinky."

And with that proclamation, Heath screwed up his face and began bawling.

I laughed as I crossed the living room to hand him over to Sookie.

She nestled down into the couch as the party guests filed out slowly, giving us their congratulations on the way. I nearly had to shove the family out with promises to call the next day. Now that the excitement had died down, I was able to think about what I'd done. How lucky I was to be able to help bring my little boy into the world.

I gathered Pam in my arms before settling down next to Sookie on the couch, watching as Heath drifted into his milk coma.

I pressed a kiss to Sookie's head, then one to Pam's and finally one to Heath's.

"Are you happy, love?" Sookie's eyes twitched to mine as she spoke.

I looked my beautiful wife, the love of my life, the mother of my beautiful children and sighed.

"I can't imagine being happier."


End file.
